SF Developer Sia Tahbazof, two other execs charged by feds with bribery
The feds do the People's work
Those who know the body and duties of the Grand Jury will enjoy this.
My comments inline.
The article:
by JOE RIVANO BARROS and JOE ESKENAZI NOVEMBER 9, 2023
Three San Francisco construction executives were charged by the federal government today with bribing employees at the Department of Building Inspection in the feds’ ongoing rampage through San Francisco.
My comment:
Scion means “a descendant of a notable family.” That’s notable.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice charged Siavash “Sia” Tahbazof, 72, who founded the design firm SIA Consulting and is the developer SST Investments, with one charge of wire fraud. He is alleged to have bribed city employees Bernie Curran — the building inspector who was sentenced to 12 months and a day in July — as well as plan-checkers Cyril Yu and Rodolfo “Rudy” Pada, who were themselves charged with accepting the bribes just last week.
The feds also charged Reza Khoshnevisan, 54, and Bahman Ghassemzadeh, 38, with conspiracy charges; Ghassemzadeh is alleged to have bribed all three former DBI employees, while Khoshnevisan is charged with bribing Yu and Pada.
Tahbazof’s name was never printed in prior documents, but by connecting the dots left by the feds, one could predict this day. Both Curran and Pada received interest-free loans that were structured to appear as if they came from Tahbazof’s relative, Freydoon Ghassemzadeh — but, the feds allege, actually originated from Tahbazof.
If the federal allegations are true, then Tahbazof essentially achieved vertical integration via bribing the plan-checkers and the field inspector who would be handling projects of interest to him.
My comment:
One of Sia’s recent projects is 915 Cayuga, a self-funded 116-unit building where he voluntarily constructed 58 affordable housing units a/k/a Below Market Rate BMR units in San Francisco. He did it as a “give back” to the City because he’s an immigrant.Why do you think it might be so hard to build stuff in San Francisco?
”Permits”?
Why would a guy self-fund a project with 50% BMR units? They’re permanent.
Is he planning to lose money or make money?
Make more or make less?
Could it be [monetarily] beneficial for the gatekeeper of your right to pursuit of happiness make it hard for you to pass?Could the gatekeepers create a win-win scenario here?
“Guaranteed Income?”
What is Section 8 housing?
Oh man this one is good. copied from his website:
”Alemany’s construction commenced in early 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. While everyone stayed home out of fear of getting covid, Sia went to the jobsite every single day to check on construction and his workers. He made sure that this affordable housing project did not face a single delay due to the shelter in place order.”
THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT AND NOT EVEN A WORLD SHUTDOWN WOULD GET IN THE WAY. This was an Essential Project.Let’s finish up the article:
All three men charged today face 20 years in prison per charge and fines topping out at $250,000. The alleged bribery took place over the span of the last decade.
What does “prison” mean here? $250,000 is not that much in the realm of these numbers. It’s like a “doing business” fee.
Given what you know, what corrective action would you suggest?
I would say:
Charge Curran and Pada paying back tenfold the amount of the bribes they accepted. They may not hold public office again.
Investigate further to arrive at a decision on what to do with Tahbazof.
The charges are just the latest in a sprawling web of corruption that has touched almost every level of city government since 2020 — starting with the then-director of Public Works, Mohammed Nuru, and ensnaring city workers, building inspectors and public officials.
So basically, some people investigated stuff and found some bad stuff. Then they went to the people involved in that stuff and charged them.
What does a Grand Jury do?
Exactly that.
So. We have two options.
If we want small government and less corruption, then form Grand Juries1 and take care of such business.
Leave the federal government to do it, as you just read about how it did.
Well, what if the federal government can’t be trusted? Or what if they just dole out a slap on the wrist?
Then you have option #1
Thank you for visiting Dr. Agenda 47. That’ll be $3 million.
Remember to grab a Conspiracy Theory on your way out!
We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common defence,
promote the general Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
No, not the Civil Grand Juries.