Latest News, WV Press Videos

WV prisons chief gets pay cut amid ethics inquiry

Charleston Gazette-Mail photo Jim Rubenstein
Charleston Gazette-Mail photo
Jim Rubenstein

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein has had his pay cut by $10,500 a year amid an ethics investigation.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration also recently stripped Rubenstein of his second job title as deputy secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. Rubenstein had served in a dual role as deputy secretary and corrections commissioner since July 2014.

His salary was dropped from $90,504 to $80,000, payroll records show.

Rubenstein had access to a rent-free garage apartment provided by a state prison subcontractor for at least four years, according to a state investigation completed last year. The Gazette-Mail published a story about the investigation last week.

A Department of Military Affairs spokesman declined comment on Rubenstein’s pay cut Monday, saying it was a personnel matter.

On Oct. 11, Rubenstein signed a deal with Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Charles Miller’s office. Miller agreed to drop a criminal investigation into Rubenstein’s use of the apartment and referred the matter to the state Ethics Commission. In exchange, Rubenstein promised to cooperate with the ethics probe and negotiate a “conciliation agreement,” which typically includes a reprimand and fine.

 As part of the deal, Rubenstein also agreed to pay the apartment’s owner, Terrence Rusin, back rent. Rusin is CEO of PsiMed, which provides mental health services to the state prison system. PsiMed received more than $7.5 million in state funds during the years Rubenstein had access to the apartment, according to a report by the state Legislature’s Commission on Special Investigations.

Rubenstein claimed he had a deal with Rusin to furnish the apartment and use the furniture’s value to offset rent payments, the report said. Rubenstein provided receipts to investigators that showed he had paid about $3,600 for furniture for the apartment. He promised to leave the furniture behind when he vacated the apartment.

Rubenstein has overseen day-to-day operations of state prisons since 2001.

Rubenstein’s agreement with Miller’s office also requires the corrections chief to repay the state for a $138 hotel bill at the Charleston Four Points Sheraton. Rubenstein charged the state for the hotel stay on Feb. 9, 2015, after the pipes in his rent-free apartment froze up that day.

Rubenstein and his lawyer did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Reach Eric Eyre at [email protected], 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.

See more from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. 

Comments are closed.

West Virginia Press Newspaper Network " "

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

And get our latest content in your inbox

Invalid email address