A Bay State employee who was suspended with pay was busted for working a private job at the same time.

Ex-Department of Developmental Services residential supervisor Viki Briggs — who took home more than $155,000 in state pay one year — has admitted to violating the state’s conflict of interest law.

The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission has announced that Briggs admitted to the violations and paid $12,500 in penalties and damages. That breaks down to a $2,500 civil penalty and $10,007 in damages.

This case goes back to October 2022 when DDS suspended Briggs with pay, pending the completion of an investigation. DDS told her that she had to remain available to DDS during normal business hours.

Then a year later while still on paid administrative leave, Briggs began working as a residence director for a private group home operated by an organization that receives funding from DDS, including funding that supported Briggs’ salary.

As residence director for the private group home, Briggs was responsible for coordinating with DDS regarding residents’ service plans, and she communicated with DDS staff to set up meetings with group home residents.

DDS then fired Briggs from her state position. During the 35 days that her private employment and DDS employment overlapped, Briggs took home $10,007 in administrative leave pay from DDS. She did not disclose her private employment to DDS while on leave.

“When a state employee also has a paid private job, the private job must be compatible with the employee’s duties as a state employee,” State Ethics Commission Executive Director David Wilson said in a statement.

“A state employee with overlapping public and private work hours, or who deals with their public agency on behalf of a private employer, or who receives pay from a private employer out of funds from their public agency, undermines public confidence in the integrity of government service and violates the conflict of interest law,” the executive director added.

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The conflict of interest law bans public employees from using their official positions to obtain “valuable benefits” to which they’re not entitled.

Briggs violated this ban by working a private job during hours DDS required her to be available.

Briggs also violated the law’s ban against private employees accepting employment that is “inherently incompatible with the requirements of her public position,” the commission wrote.

Because her private group home salary was funded by DDS funds, Briggs violated the conflict of interest law’s ban against state employees holding a financial interest in a state contract.

Also, the law prohibits state employees from being paid by “someone other than the Commonwealth in connection to matters in which the Commonwealth is a party or has a direct and substantial interest,” the commission added.

Briggs violated this ban by receiving pay from the private group home for duties involving coordinating with DDS staff.