Verizon fires workers over state DMV probe

Raleigh, N.C. — Verizon has fired four employees and a fifth has been disciplined for violating the company's code of business conduct, a spokesman said Saturday.

"We are not providing any further details, other than the discipline was appropriate based on our investigation," Jack Hoey, vice president of media relations for Verizon Business, said in a statement.

Verizon has a multimillion-dollar computing contract with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, which earlier this week, said 62 state workers or their family members received Carolina Hurricanes hockey tickets, restaurant meals, spa services and other benefits from company employees from August 2006 to January 2009.

"Based on our internal investigation, Verizon Business has taken appropriate disciplinary action," Hoey said. "Four employees have been terminated, and one is no longer on the state account."

The State Bureau of Investigation is also looking into whether state employees broke the law by accepting the gifts. State ethics rules prohibit employees from receiving gifts from vendors.

The SBI is also investigating what happened to computers used to implement the state's electronic sticker program.

The DMV paid for the computers, but currently some are unaccounted for. Earlier this week, Hoey said the computers are in warehouses and that Verizon is cooperating with the DMV to account for them.