A former General Motors manager has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery. Hyoung Nam So, also known as "Brian So," from Irvine, was convicted following a one-week trial that concluded in November 2023, as per an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
So, who supervised the supply of parts for GM automobile interiors in North America, was involved in a bribery scheme with a South Korean auto parts supplier, Wookyung MIT. According to the same source, he promised to deliver a contract worth over $100 million in exchange for a $5 million bribe. This was despite being aware that Wookyung MIT was not the lowest bidder for the contract. So actively sought to revise the bids, in the hopes of securing the contract for the South Korean firm.
United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. handed down the sentence which included a hefty fine of $250,000, a reminder of the high stakes involved in white-collar crime. United States Attorney Martin Estrada stressed the significance of this case, stating, "Corporate executives must play by the same rules as the rest of us." He further emphasized the gravity of the offense, saying, "By demanding millions of dollars in bribes to award contracts, this defendant corrupted the system and thumbed his nose at fair and honest business practices. Now, this defendant will do federal prison time and see firsthand that no person is above the law," as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
The bribery transaction began to unfold when, in October 2015, So agreed to secure the parts supply deal for Wookyung MIT. A month later, $1 million was delivered from South Korea to Los Angeles by money brokers, eventually making its way to Michigan, where So received it. He held back confirmation of the contract award until the remainder of the bribe was paid on December 20, 2015. That cash too had been physically moved cross-country to reach So’s hands. The day after the final payment, So saw to finally notify Wookyung MIT that they had been awarded the contract. The investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations' Los Angeles El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force also led to the seizure of $3.19 million, believed to be proceeds from the scheme, which was later returned to South Korean authorities.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Mitchell and David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. The investigation received international cooperation, with substantial assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and recapitulated the complex networks that often underpin cases of corporate malfeasance.
