Name: Fraud charges for SF permit specialist Walter Wong — agrees to cooperate in City Hall corruption probe
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Fraud charges for SF permit specialist Walter Wong — agrees to cooperate in City Hall corruption probe

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U.S. Justice Department officials on Wednesday charged influential San Francisco contractor and permit consultant Walter Wong with one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Wong, who was previously implicated in alleged schemes tied to former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, agreed to plead guilty to the charges and to cooperate with the FBI’s ongoing investigation into corruption at San Francisco City Hall in exchange for a potentially reduced sentence.The Justice Department’s criminal complaint against Wong claims the alleged fraud scheme he is charged with dated to at least 2004 and the alleged money laundering to 2008. The complaint provides few details about the nature of Wong’s alleged wrongdoing, but both counts link Wong’s purported schemes directly to Nuru.Wong is named as “Contractor 2” in against Nuru, which alleges that Wong paid for trips Nuru took to China and South America in 2018 in exchange for preferential treatment “when needed.”Without a reduced sentence, Wong, 70, could face up to 40 years in prison.“As this investigation continues, the breadth and depth of the identified misconduct is widening,” U.S. Attorney David Anderson said in a statement. “To everyone with a piece of public corruption in San Francisco, please understand that here in federal court we will distinguish sharply between those who cooperate and those who do not.“If you love San Francisco, and regret your misconduct, you still have an opportunity to do the right thing. Run, don’t walk, to the FBI, before it is too late for you to cooperate,” he said.Earlier this month, , San Francisco’s Fix-It director and director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, with one count of conspiracy to launder money after prosecutors said she conspired for years with Nuru to launder the proceeds of his alleged honest services wire fraud.Zuniga was also apparently a romantic partner and confidante to Nuru, and was listed as “Girlfriend 1” in documents related to the federal investigation. Investigators claim she accompanied Nuru on trips where he accepted improper gifts.Wong has for decades been a polarizing figure in the world of San Francisco real estate development. To some, he is a tireless, self-made immigrant with an uncanny ability to usher projects through the city’s famously convoluted permitting process. To others, he is Exhibit A of an unfair system where builders who hire well-connected, expensive consultants get preferential treatment over everyone else.FBI agents raided the 205 13th St. offices of Wong’s Jaidin Consulting Group earlier this year. The raid occurred around the time charges alleging public corruption were unsealed against Nuru and restaurateur Nick Bovis. to charges of honest services wire fraud and wire fraud last month and to cooperate with investigators.Bovis, the owner of Lefty O’Doul’s, was in January for attempting to bribe a San Francisco airport commissioner. The pair also were tied to in which Nuru used his influence to obtain city contracts and other benefits for his associates.SF Corruption ProbeWong has worked for local developers for four decades as a permit expediter, helping guide projects through the labyrinth of city approvals. He has deep ties to San Francisco politicians, including former Mayors Willie Brown, Art Agnos and the late Ed Lee. Wong was also close to the late Rose Pak, a powerful Chinatown advocate.While developers say Wong is an indispensable figure in navigating the city bureaucracy, some community activists, city officials and residents have criticized him as being emblematic of improper influence in City Hall.Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.In March, an investigation by the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office suggested that Wong received preferential treatment from and access to Tom Hui, the city’s former head of building inspection, following the city’s internal corruption probe launched in the wake of Nuru’s arrest. That investigation is also ongoing.The city attorney’s memo also indicates that Hui and Wong corresponded for years on a variety of topics, including Building Inspection Department policy, suggesting a close relationship between the two men.Citing a 2013 email exchange, a memo into the investigation’s findings from the City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s office said it appears that Hui sought input on potential changes to the Building Inspection’s permitting process from Wong — a person with commercial interests before the department.Herrera’s memo also alleges that Hui sought Wong’s help in getting city jobs for his son and his son’s girlfriend, which may provide a window into the sway Wong held over city departments, despite not being a government employee.The investigation has also yielded evidence that Hui gave preferential access to behind the long-delayed 555 Fulton development project. The FBI alleged that Zhang paid for Nuru to take expensive trips to China and provided him with a bottle of wine valued at over $2,000, which Nuru did not disclose, in exchange for preferential treatment on his projects.Both Wong and Zhang and several business entities directly affiliated with themThe investigation, the city attorney’s memo said, has also found that Hui accepted gifts of meals from Wong at dinners arranged to discuss the 555 Fulton project.Dominic Fracassa and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: , , Twitter: ,Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

U.S. Justice Department officials on Wednesday charged influential San Francisco contractor and permit consultant Walter Wong with one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Wong, who was previously implicated in alleged schemes tied to former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, agreed to plead guilty to the charges and to cooperate with the FBI’s ongoing investigation into corruption at San Francisco City Hall in exchange for a potentially reduced sentence.The Justice Department’s criminal complaint against Wong claims the alleged fraud scheme...

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Megan Cassidy

Dominic Fracassa

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Fraud charges for SF permit specialist Walter Wong — agrees to cooperate in City Hall corruption probe

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