Exposing Corruption: San Francisco Construction Firm Executives Charged for Bribing Department of Building Inspection Employees

Three top executives of a San Francisco-based construction planning firm have been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. The alleged bribery scheme revolved around the executives paying bribes to employees of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection in order to expedite building permit approvals and inspections, spanning from 2003 to 2014.

The Charged Executives

Siavash “Sia” Tahbazof is 72 years old and was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Tahbazof is accused of bribing DBI employees to expedite the issuance of building plan permits.

Reza Khoshnevisan is 54 years old and was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that Khoshnevisan paid bribes to DBI plan checkers for expediting building plan permits.

Bahman Ghassemzadeh is 38 years old and was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. He is accused of paying bribes to former DBI plan checkers and a DBI building inspector for approved building permits.

The Bribery Recipients

Cyril Yu is 41 years old and was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that Yu accepted bribes from the executives in return for approving building and construction plans.

Rodolfo “Rudy” Pada is 68 years old and was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. He is accused of accepting bribes from the executives in return for approving permits for building and construction plans.

The Scandal of Others in San Francisco City Hall

The charges against the three construction firm executives are only the latest in a series of cases filed in a federal probe into corruption at San Francisco City Hall. One of the prominent cases is that of former senior building inspector Bernard Curran and a prominent engineer, Rodrigo Santos.

Potential Sentencing for the Convicted

If convicted, the executives face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

Conclusion

Corruption is an unfortunate occurrence in many governments and cities, but it is important to be aware of it and make sure that everyone is held accountable for their actions. In this case, three executives of a San Francisco construction planning firm have been charged for bribing employees of the Department of Building Inspection and may face serious punishments if convicted.