Former SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru sentenced to 7 years in federal prison
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mohammed Nuru, the key figure in a San Francisco City Hall Public Works scandal that has to led numerous convictions, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Thursday afternoon.
The judge issued the sentence following statements from both prosecutors and defense attorneys in a hearing attended by many people showing support for Nuru, who did not speak at the sentencing. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison term while the defense had asked for a three-year sentence.
Last week, Nuru sent a letter to Judge William Orrick expressing remorse and accepting responsibility for his actions, including tipping off others to the wide-ranging investigation. Nuru also asked Orrick for leniency and offered personal accounts of his upbringing and service on behalf of others during his career.
Nuru's attorneys released the following statement from their client Thursday: "Again, I want to apologize to the people of San Francisco for my misconduct. Now that sentencing is behind me, I plan to concentrate on my family and my health in the near term. I look forward to the time that I can return to serving my community and work to repair the damage that my actions caused both the City and my family."
"Nuru's long-running scheme of bribes and kickbacks ultimately earned him seven years in prison," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan in a prepared statement. "Today's sentence sends a clear message that public officials who abuse their power for personal gain will be punished. The FBI's investigation into this case is not over. We will continue to unravel and disrupt corruption within the city of San Francisco."
Mayor London Breed issued a statement following the sentencing, saying in part, "The Mayor has fully supported the federal investigation from the beginning, and has encouraged full participation by all city employees. It's critical that those who break the law and violate the public trust are held accountable."
Breed, who had a previous romantic relationship with Nuru, has not been charged with any wrongdoing but admitted to receiving $5,600 for car repairs from Nuru in 2019. The city ethics commission fined the mayor about $8,000 for not reporting the gift.
Nuru arrived at the San Francisco Federal Building at around 12:30 p.m., an hour before the start of his sentencing hearing that was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. He did not speak to the press before entering.
Nuru pleaded guilty in December to federal wire fraud charges after admitting "to a staggering amount of public corruption."
The 59-year-old Nuru served as San Francisco Department of Public Work's Director from 2011 until federal corruption charges were brought against him in 2020.
In a pre-sentencing letter to the court, Nuru apologized writing that "my behavior left me in constant anxiety. Still, I did not stop." But he also admitted that he "repeatedly made corrupt decisions."
He said after the feds arrested him while he was in a TSA line at JFK Airport, he knew he needed to cooperate in the investigation. But he also warned others.
"In the cooperating process, it became clear that cooperating was not just acknowledging my own wrongdoing, but also informing on close friends, whom frankly I considered family," he wrote.
Later in the letter to U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick, Nuru added: "I stupidly tipped off some colleagues who might be investigated, despite explicit instructions not to."
At the time of his plea, United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds didn't mince words in describing the scope of corruption uncovered in the federal probe that spanned several years.
"Mohammed Nuru admits to a staggering amount of public corruption in his plea agreement," Hinds said in a news release. "For years, Nuru held a powerful and well-paid public leadership position at San Francisco City Hall, but instead of serving the public, Nuru served himself."
"He took continuous bribes from the contractors, developers, and entities he regulated," Hinds continued. "He now faces a prison sentence for enriching himself at the expense of the public as he sat in high office. Federal authorities will investigate public corruption wherever it leads in San Francisco and throughout the district."
Prosecutors reiterated those comments in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court this week.
"This is a tale of greed as old as time," the memorandum said. "Mohammed Nuru, a powerful appointed public official in the City of San Francisco, shook down multiple contractors eager for lucrative City business for well over a million dollars in cash, goods and services over a 12-year period. Much of that money went to fund his ranch in Stonyford, California, a property whose mortgage was partly paid by laundered bribes from City contractors, with a large home custom-built and furnished by City contractors, on grounds maintained with the help of equipment and soil provided by City contractors."
In addition to Nuru's seven-year prison term, Orrick ordered a three-year term of supervision upon his release. He was also ordered to forfeit his ranch property.
Nuru was to begin serving his sentence on January 6, 2023.
To date, 12 individuals and three corporate entities have been charged in the scandal investigation, including former Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly. Multiple city contractors and facilitators have been charged.
Allegations in the complaint filed against Kelly assert that he received thousands of dollars in airfare, meals, jewelry, and travel expenses, along with repair work on his house.
Among those charged in the case were two former executives at Recology Inc., a waste management company that provides garbage collection services in San Francisco.
As DPW director, Nuru presided over the process governing the rates Recology could charge in San Francisco. Nuru admitted that he accepted numerous valuable items from Recology and used his official position to help Recology's business. Among other things, Recology paid for soil to be delivered to Nuru's ranch property in Colusa County, for expensive meals for Nuru, and for a two-night trip to New York in December 2017.
Nuru admitted he requested that Recology fund his DPW holiday parties. Between 2016 and 2019, Recology paid approximately $60,000 for that purpose. Recology made the payments through the Lefty O'Doul's Foundation, a non-profit organization run by Nick Bovis.
Two former Recology executives, Paul F. Giusti and John F. Porter, have been charged in the investigation. Giusti was charged in November 2020 and Porter was charged in April 2021. Both men were charged with bribery of Nuru and money laundering involving Nuru.
Giusti pleaded guilty in August 2021 to engaging in a conspiracy to bribe Nuru and is cooperating with the government's corruption investigation. Porter's charges remain pending.
Nuru also admitted to helping Bovis in a plan to win a bid for a restaurant lease at San Francisco International Airport. Bovis expected to make money from the SFO concession and Nuru expected Bovis would continue to provide bribes in exchange for Nuru's help with the airport concession process and other public contracts.
The former DPW director also admitted to giving Bovis a price list of appliances that Nuru wanted for his ranch in or about 2018, a time when Bovis was seeking Nuru's assistance with the SFO concession and other city business opportunities. Bovis purchased the appliances and brought them to Nuru's ranch.
Bovis pleaded guilty in May 2020 to wire fraud and honest services wire fraud involving Nuru and agreed to cooperate in the government's corruption investigation.
Nuru also admitted in his plea agreement that he accepted a gold Rolex watch from Bay Area businesswoman Florence Kong. The watch was valued at approximately $36,550. Nuru admitted he used his official position to benefit Kong's businesses and did so in exchange for the Rolex and for cash, free meals, and other items of value provided by Kong, including an iron fence installed at Nuru's ranch.
Kong was charged and pleaded guilty to the bribery of Nuru and to making false statements to FBI agents during the investigation. She was sentenced in February 2021 to one year and one day in prison and ordered to pay a $95,000 fine.