Former Deputy Sheriff pays $65,000 after violating conflict of interest law

Former Bristol County Deputy Sheriff Floyd Teague has paid a $40,000 civil penalty and $25,000 in economic advantage damages for violating the conflict of interest law by conducting a public auction in which he placed an absentee bid on behalf of his spouse for a seized modular home, according to the State Ethics Commission.

Teague allegedly awarded his spouse the home, which she later renovated with his help and sold at a profit.

As Deputy Sheriff, part of Teague’s job included auctioning property when the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was retained to do so.

In March 2023, an attorney for a homeowner’s association in a neighboring county engaged Teague to handle the seizure and auction of an unoccupied modular home to cover past-due fees the then-owner owed to the association, according to the State Ethics Commission.

Prior to the auction, Teague posted a Notice of Order of Sale, which announced the auction and that $5,000 cash or certified check, payable immediately after completion of the sale, was required, the Commission said.

Before the auction, Teague also discussed the modular home with his spouse and agreed to place a $20,000 bid on her behalf. His spouse reportedly did not provide $5,000 cash or certified check, according to the Commission.

About a dozen people attended the auction, during which Teague announced that bidders needed $5,000 cash or certified check to participate and that the auction floor was the $18,542 in past-due fees owed to the homeowner’s association.

He then announced he had a $20,000 bid and declared, “Going once, going twice, sold for $20,000,” according to the State Ethics Commission.

After the auction, Teague’s spouse gave him a $20,000 bank check, which he turned over to the Sheriff’s Office’s Civil Process Division.

In the following months Teague and his spouse renovated and improved the home and its grounds, spending approximately $44,000 on contractors and supplies associated with the renovation and improvements.

In October 2023, Teague’s spouse sold the home for $309,900, according to the Commission.

The conflict of interest law prohibits state employees from participating in matters in which they or their immediate family have a financial interest. By agreeing to place his spouse’s bid, conducting the auction when he knew his spouse was bidding and by awarding her the home, Teague violated the prohibition.

Public employees aren’t allowed to use their official position to secure valuable unwarranted privileges for themselves or others, but Teague violated this prohibition by not requiring his spouse to produce $5,000 to participate in the auction, according to the Commission.

Teague’s violations were to his economic advantage, the Commission said.

“When public employees in the exercise of their official authority act to enrich themselves and their families rather than to serve the public interest, they betray the public’s trust and undermine their fellow citizens’ confidence in the integrity of public service and government institutions,” said State Ethics Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson.

The Commission is authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation of the conflict of interest law. Upon finding that economic advantage was gained through violations of interest law, the Commission may order the violator to pay to the commonwealth damages in the amount of the economic advantage up to $25,000.