Rodrigo Santos, Bank Fraud, California 2021

San Francisco, CA - Rodrigo Santos, 61, former President of the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission, has been indicted for bank fraud, obstruction of justice, and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.

The indictment charges Santos with ten counts of bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344, alleging that he engaged in a scheme to obtain and deposit money from his clients into his own bank account from November 2012 through March 2019. Santos is alleged to have manipulated checks by editing the "pay to the order of" field to make them appear to be written to him, and endorsed checks to himself without authorization from his clients, totaling $775,412.90.

The indictment also charges Santos with two counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A, alleging that he knowingly used the identity of another person without authority in February 2017. Additionally, Santos is charged with one count of altering and falsifying records in a federal investigation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519, alleging that he submitted altered and false invoices of his company, Santos and Urrutia Structural Engineers, Inc., to the FBI with the intent to obstruct the investigation.

Santos faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine for each count of bank fraud, a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the obstruction of justice count, and at least two years in prison for a conviction on a count of aggravated identity theft, imposed consecutive to any sentence already imposed on the bank fraud counts.

Rodrigo Santos is scheduled to appear for arraignment on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. before the Honorable Alex G. Tse, United States Magistrate Judge. Santos remains out of custody on bond.

This case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being investigated by the FBI. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera also alleged in a state civil lawsuit unsealed in March 2020 that Santos engaged in check fraud.

Rodrigo Santos, former President of the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission, is accused of engaging in a massive bank fraud scheme, manipulating checks and using a client's identity without authorization. The indictment alleges that Santos deposited approximately 445 checks totaling $775,412.90 into his personal bank account.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-san-francisco-building-inspection-commission-president-indicted-bank-fraud