Corporations Linked to Nuru Scandal Banned from Receiving San Francisco Metropolis Contracts

Corporations who bribed former San Francisco Public Works director Mohammed Nuru are barred from doing enterprise with town, Metropolis Lawyer David Chiu introduced Tuesday. 

The debarment prohibits Alan Valera and William Gilmartin—president and vp of civil engineering and building agency ProVen Administration Inc.—from receiving metropolis contracts. The 2 beforehand pled responsible to conspiracy to commit sincere providers wire fraud.  

Valera has been sentenced to 2 years in federal jail, and Gilmartin has but to obtain his sentence.

In response to an investigation by the FBI, ProVen offered Nuru with costly dinners and farming provides for his ranch to win extra public contracts. The corporate was vying to function an asphalt plant on land owned by the Port of San Francisco, Chiu stated. 

The executives have been two amongst others who tried to bypass town’s aggressive contracting course of, as revealed by a federal investigation. Nuru pleaded responsible to fraud in 2021 and is serving a seven-year jail sentence.

Different firms allegedly affiliated with the Nuru scandal which have additionally been debarred embody Baylands Soil Processing LLC, Comsa Emte USA Inc., Egbert Enterprises LLC, and Confirmed Comsa JV. 

Chiu has additionally initiated debarment proceedings and suspension orders towards Azul Works Inc. and its vp, Balmore Hernandez, Nick James Bovis of SMTM Expertise LLC, and Florence Kong and her firms SFR Restoration Inc. And Kwan Wo Ironworks Inc.

Town additionally secured a settlement price $1.7 million that prohibits Wing Lok “Walter” Wong and his firms W. Wong Building Co., Inc., Inexperienced Supply Buying and selling LLC, and Alternate Selection LLC from doing enterprise with San Francisco for the subsequent 5 years.

“Anybody who makes an attempt to compromise our public contracting course of will face penalties,” stated Chiu. “The Metropolis Lawyer’s Workplace stays dedicated to rooting out corruption wherever it exists and sustaining the integrity of our metropolis authorities.” 

Debarment is historically a prolonged course of, although Chiu utilized 2020 laws that suspends bad-acting contractors from metropolis funding instantly. Varela, Gilmartin and their firm was beforehand suspended in 2021 previous to the debarment.  

The debarment order secured Tuesday will probably be in place till March 2026—5 years after ProVen was suspended from working with town.

The information comes on the primary day of the corruption trial of Harlan Kelly. The previous head of town’s Public Utilities Fee is likely one of the metropolis officers additionally implicated within the federal case towards Nuru.