Khalil Ewais, Extortion, Accepting Bribes, Ohio 2023

Khalil Ewais, 44, Pleads Guilty to Extortion, Accepting Bribes and Other Crimes

A City of Cleveland employee, Khalil Ewais, has pleaded guilty to charges related to extortion, accepting bribes and other crimes. Ewais, of Cleveland, Ohio, accepted below-market improvements on his property from a contractor seeking city business and directed city projects to benefit himself, his outside businesses, and his clients.

Ewais is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16. He pleaded guilty to charges including Hobbs Act extortion, bribery, federal program theft, making false statements and filing false tax returns.

As detailed in the plea agreement, Ewais admitted to the following facts related to his crimes: Ewais worked in the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects (“MOCAP”) as the section chief of construction in the division of engineering and construction. In that capacity, he oversaw construction inspectors who inspect work on the city’s roads, bridges and sidewalks.

Ewais also owned and operated Pioneer Engineering, a private engineering and consulting business that did work for private clients. He also, along with his brother Abdeljawad Ewais and other family members, owned commercial and residential rental properties in and around Cleveland.

According to the plea agreement, Ewais contacted multiple companies, including Company 1, about paving the parking lot adjacent to Captain’s Grill, a property at 6104 Storer Ave. that he and his brother owned. Quotes for the work ranged from $48,923 to $59,152. Ewais contacted an owner of Company 1 on August 10, 2016, about the estimate for the parking lot and said “I need it to be in the $25K range.” The owner quickly responded, “I will do the job for a lump sum of $26,000.”

Even though the parking lot work was a private job for Ewais, he sent an email from his City email address to another City official regarding the sewer connection at the border of Ewais’s property and West 61st Street, and stated that “E&C [MOCAP’s Division of Engineering & Construction] directed the roadway work and the connection fix in the street as part of the E&C Requirement Contract.” In fact, no City agency had directed any roadway work on West 61st Street at that time, and the work was related to Ewais’s private construction project.

Ewais also used his official position to cause the city to pay to repave most of the short public alleyway next to the parking lot, West 62nd Place. Around October 25, 2016, Company 1— at the direction of Ewais — instructed a subcontractor to expand the scope of its work on the parking lot job to include milling and paving the part of West 62nd Place that adjoined the parking lot, but not the short additional distance to reach the home at the end of the alleyway.

The work was completed on November 5, 2016, with the parking lot connected to West 62nd Place. Company 1 spent approximately $81,534 to complete the work. Ewais paid $31,336 for the work and Company 1 did not request any further payment.

Defendant: Khalil Ewais, 44

Criminal Charges: Hobbs Act extortion, bribery, federal program theft, making false statements and filing false tax returns

City and State: Cleveland, Ohio

Date: Not specified

Sentence: Scheduled to be sentenced on October 16

Dollar Amounts: $5.8 million (contract bid), $48,923-$59,152 (parking lot quotes), $26,000 (parking lot payment), $81,534 (parking lot and alleyway work), $31,336 (Ewais’s payment)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/city-cleveland-employee-pleaded-guilty-charges-related-extortion-accepting-bribes-and