Celeste Katz of the NY Daily News Politics Blog reports the following:

The city’s Conflict Of Interest Board has slapped Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz with a $2,000 fine for using his top aide as a lawyer for a home closing.

The Daily News first reported the questionable transaction after Markowitz and his wife Jamie bought a $1.45 million semi-detached home on a tree-lined block in Windsor Terrace in 2009.

The News noticed that Markowitz’s Chief of Staff, Carlo Scissura, was listed in property records as the lawyer who handled the transaction — an apparent violation of rules barring public officials from using their employees for personal business.

Markowitz initially denied Scissura had represented him — then claimed, when presented with contradicting documents, that the law applies only to lawyers working for the city as attorneys, not as chiefs of staff.

The Conflicts board disagreed and yesterday announced that Markowitz had reached a settlement to pay a $2,000 fine — less than many lawyers charge for a home closing.

Scissura was also fined $1,100 for his role in the transaction.

(Source: NY Daily News)