Paterson confidant and the man at the center of the storm swirling around Albany, David Johnson, has ignored a subpoena from the state ethics commission. The subpoena was intended to obtain answers to key questions regarding Johnson's actions related to the Governor's ethical lapses, including his free tickets to the World Series.

The aide, David W. Johnson, was ordered to testify before the Commission on Public Integrity in a subpoena given to a Paterson administration lawyer on Feb. 24, one week before the commission issued a report finding that Mr. Paterson had violated state ethics laws by accepting the tickets and had lied under oath when he told the commission that he had intended to pay for them.

But Mr. Johnson's lawyer, Oscar Michelen, said the administration lawyer, Jeffrey Pearlman, told him that he was never informed that the document, sealed in a blank envelope, was a subpoena. Mr. Johnson was told the envelope was from the commission but never opened it, according to Mr. Michelen, and was suspended from his job hours later.

"Mr. Johnson never failed to appear as he was unaware of any required appearance," Mr. Michelen said.