Former Oakland Coliseum Executive Charged For Seeking Fee In Naming Rights Deal
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Former Oakland Coliseum Authority executive director Scott McKibben has been charged with felony conflict of interest for seeking a fee for his role in negotiating the RingCentral naming rights deal, Alameda County prosecutors said.
According to court documents, McKibben sought a $50,000 fee for helping to negotiate the deal to grant RingCentral the naming rights to the Oakland Coliseum, allegedly violating California conflict of interest laws in the process.
The complaint was filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Nov. 27 for two counts against McKibben--one felony and one misdemeanor.
The naming rights contract between RingCentral and the Coliseum Authority was approved on May 31, 2019 at McKibben's recommendation, Alameda County DA Inspector Thomas Cleary said in court documents.
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McKibben was the sole negotiator of the deal and the Coliseum Authority sought to renegotiate the contract with RingCentral upon learning of his "financial interest" in the deal. In an interview, he admitted to requesting the $50,000 fee from RingCentral for negotiating the naming rights.
McKibben sent three different emails with different versions of invoices for $50,000 to RingCentral in June 2019, Cleary wrote. The documents also say McKibben thought the fee was justified in the interview.
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"McKibben stated he believed that his position as an Executive Director, he was a consultant and could seek outside work. McKibben considered the naming rights negotiations outside his role as Executive Director and viewed the fee as proper, below market rate, and not interfering with his negotiations on behalf of the OACCA," Cleary stated.
RingCentral did not pay McKibben the fee after prosecutors notified them of the potential conflict of interest.
The naming rights deal is currently being renegotiated, Cleary said.
