Alan Varela, Bill Gilmartin, Bribery, California 2023
Charges were filed today in a criminal complaint alleging that Alan Varela and Bill Gilmartin, the president and vice president, respectively, of a Bay Area civil engineering and construction firm, bribed Mohammed Nuru, formerly San Francisco’s Director of Public Works.
According to an affidavit filed in connection with the complaint, Varela and Gilmartin provided gifts and benefits to Nuru since at least as early as 2013, including, among other things, $20,000 in meals and a tractor worth $40,000 for Nuru to use at his personal vacation home.
In exchange for these benefits, Nuru allegedly provided Varela and Gilmartin with a steady stream of illegal inside information about a lucrative San Francisco public contract to build and operate an asphalt recycling plant that Varela and Gilmartin sought.
Varela and Gilmartin face a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison, as well as fines that could go as high as $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the alleged bribery scheme.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office of the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California’s new Corporate Fraud Strike Force and is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
“Public works contracts in San Francisco are supposed to be awarded on a merit system in San Francisco for the benefit of the residents and taxpayers of San Francisco,” said U.S. Attorney Anderson.
Varela and Gilmartin are the seventh and eighth defendants to be charged as part of the graft probe.
Defendant: Alan Varela and Bill Gilmartin
Criminal Charges: Bribery
City and State: San Francisco, California
Exact Date: Today
Sentence or Outcome: Up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000
Dollar Amounts: $20,000 in meals, $40,000 tractor
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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