Three executives from a San Francisco-based construction planning and design firm are facing charges for allegedly bribing employees of the city's Department of Building Inspection (DBI) according to reports by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Accused of paying DBI employees to speed up the approval of building plan permits and inspections are Siavash "Sia" Tahbazof, Reza Khoshnevisan, and Bahman Ghassemzadeh. The alleged conspiracy dates back to 2003 and involved DBI employees, including former plan checkers Cyril Yu and Rodolfo "Rudy" Pada and building inspector Bernard Curran.
The executives now face conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud charges, with possible sentences ranging from up to 20 years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines. The DBI, as San Francisco's regulatory city agency, aims to ensure the safety and compliance of more than 200,000 commercial and residential buildings.
