Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik is stepping down as a director on the embattled stun gun maker Taser International Inc.'s corporate board, the company announced Monday.
In a news release, Taser said Kerik was resigning "to focus on his consulting business." He will be replaced by former Montana Gov. Judy Martz.
Kerik, 49, withdrew his name from consideration to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in December, saying he had employed an illegal alien as a nanny and had failed to submit required Social Security payments.
The day before Kerik quit, it was reported that he had made $6.2 million by exercising stock options he obtained as a board member of Taser, which has sold stun guns to the Homeland Security Department and is seeking more contracts.
Taser itself is under federal and state scrutiny over the safety of its stun guns and accounting issues. The Securities and Exchange Commission is also conducting an informal probe into Taser's safety claims. The company maintains that the guns are safe.