ALBANY, N.Y. ― The leader of a New York state research institute has resigned after being charged in a bribery and bid-rigging case that has shaken the administration of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Alain Kaloyeros announced his decision in a letter to SUNY officials Monday. His attorney, Mike Miller, said Tuesday that Kaloyeros left his position because he didn’t want his criminal charges to become a distraction to his colleagues.
“Dr. Kaloyeros is proud of all that SUNY Poly has accomplished during his tenure as president and the amazing work of the students, faculty, and staff,” Miller said in a statement. “Dr. Kaloyeros is innocent of the charges filed against him and looks forward to being exonerated when the cases have run their course.”
Kaloyeros faces state and federal charges that allege he steered lucrative state contracts to hand-picked companies. He’s one of several men charged in an investigation into Cuomo’s high-profile economic development projects.
Kaloyeros is a nanotech expert who led many of Cuomo’s efforts to attract high-tech jobs. He has a salary of more than $800,000 and was the state’s highest-paid employee.
Messages left with SUNY officials were not immediately returned Tuesday.
