Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

11 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

11 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

12 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

13 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

15 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

16 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

17 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

17 hours ago
San Francisco Official Charged With Corruption in FBI Probe
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
January 29, 2020

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — A top San Francisco public official and go-to bureaucrat to mayors over two decades was charged with public corruption Tuesday, upending City Hall as elected leaders scrambled to reassure the public that bribery and kickbacks would not be tolerated.

“The complaint alleges corruption pouring into San Francis co from around the world. San Francisco has been betrayed as alleged in the complaint.” — David L. Anderson, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California
The complaint unsealed against San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and longtime restaurateur Nick Bovis focuses on an aborted attempt in 2018 to bribe a San Francisco airport commissioner for retail space.
It also alleges other schemes in which Nuru is accused of trying to help his friend score contracts to build homeless shelters and portable toilets, along with a restaurant at the city’s new $2 billion transit station.
Nuru is also accused of accepting free labor at his vacation home and a John Deere tractor as well as lavish gifts from a developer, including a $2,070 bottle of wine.
“The complaint alleges corruption pouring into San Francis co from around the world,” said David L. Anderson, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. “San Francisco has been betrayed as alleged in the complaint.”
Nuru, 57, appeared in federal court Tuesday along with Bovis, the owner of Lefty O’ Doul’s, a popular sports bar in Fisherman’s Wharf, and other city businesses. Each was released after posting $2 million bail.
Photo of Nick Bovis
File – In this Nov. 20, 2018, file photo, owner Nick Bovis prepares to cut a ribbon during the opening of Lefty O’Doul’s Baseball Ballpark Buffet & Café at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Looking on are state assemblyman David Chiu, second from left, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, second from right and city public works director Mohammed Nuru, third from right. A top San Francisco official in charge of cleaning up the city’s notoriously filthy streets and a champion of adding more portable toilets has been arrested, jail records show. San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru was taken into custody Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, along with Nick Bovis, the owner of Lefty O’ Doul’s, a longtime sports bar popular with tourists. Records say only that the men were arrested for felony safekeeping, which typically indicates federal charges. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Nuru Was Initially Arrested in Late January

Nuru’s attorney, Ismail Ramsey, said his client has been a dedicated public servant for decades and was grateful to have worked at Public Works. “Mr. Nuru welcomes and looks forward to addressing these charges in court,” he said.
An attorney for Bovis, Gil Eisenberg, declined to comment.
Bovis, 56, runs a popular Christmas toy drive and Nuru, who goes by “MrCleanSF” on Twitter, oversees the design and construction of city facilities and 1,600 employees. The agency has a project portfolio of more than $5.6 billion.
As the top official since 2012 in charge of a city public works operating budget exceeding $500 million, Nuru is tasked with cleaning up San Francisco streets, which critics note remain cluttered with feces, trash and used needles amid a homelessness crisis.
In August, he launched a “Poop Patrol” tasked with power-washing high-risk streets. Critics say they can’t understand how he’s stayed in his job given the condition of city streets and construction.
Nuru was initially arrested in late January and agreed to cooperate with officials, but violated his agreement not to discuss the case and was re-arrested, Anderson said. He lied to officials about not discussing the case, Anderson said.
Nuru could face 25 years in prison while Bovis could face 20 years.

‘The Politics Are Just Crooked’

The allegations say the two participated in a scheme “to defraud the public of its right to the honest services of a public official through bribery or kickbacks” in violation of their duty.

“See, the problem, in San Francisco too, the politics are just crooked, you know what I mean?” — restaurateur Nick Bovis 
In the airport scheme, the 75-page criminal complaint says Nuru and Bovis had meetings over several months in which they discuss how to secure a lease space for Bovis’ restaurant at the airport. Eventually, Bovis brought an envelope with $5,000 to a meeting with an unnamed airport commissioner who refused to take it, the complaint said.
San Francisco International Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said in a statement that he takes the allegations very seriously “and we are deeply concerned by this effort to circumvent our selection process.” He said he welcomed the mayor’s contract review.
At one meeting recorded by an FBI agent, Bovis said all the public officials in San Francisco “work, like, side deals,” the complaint states.
“See, the problem, in San Francisco too, the politics are just crooked, you know what I mean?” he is quoted as saying in the complaint.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Nuru was placed on administrative leave Monday. She has asked the city attorney and controller to review city contracts that may have been affected.
“I will do everything I can to ensure that those who fail to uphold (the highest) standard are held accountable,” she said in a statement.
The complaint also references other unnamed city officials and deals made over the years. Anderson said others who have information about criminal activity should “run not walk” to the FBI in San Francisco.
Photo of David L. Anderson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
David L. Anderson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, gestures during a media conference Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in San Francisco. A top San Francisco official tasked with keeping the streets clean has been charged with public corruption in schemes that include offering a bribe for space at San Francisco International Airport, providing inside information to a friend seeking permits to build homeless shelters and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire Chinese developer. San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru made an initial appearance in court Tuesday along with Nick Bovis, the owner of Lefty O’ Doul’s, a popular sports bar in Fisherman’s Wharf and other city businesses. Each was ordered held on $2 million bail. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The Complaint Also Alleges That a Company With Numerous City Contracts

The complaint focuses on the failed airport scheme, but it also lays out other examples of the two collaborating to fool the public. Nuru tried to give Bovis a leg up in getting public contracts for portable toilets and small container-type portable housing for the homeless, it says.
Anderson said Nuru also repeatedly met with a Chinese billionaire seeking to build a large mixed-use building in San Francisco, accepting gifts of lavish hotel stays, travel and a $2,070 bottle of wine. He did not report any of the gifts as public officials are required to do.
“Thank you very much for all your generosity while we were in China. We had a great vacation and my daughter had a wonderful time. I will do my very best to see that your project gets completed,” he wrote to the developer in November 2018, according to the complaint.
The complaint also alleges that a company with numerous city contracts, including a $2 million contract with public works in 2018, sent people to work for free or at greatly discounted rates on Nuru’s Northern California vacation home.
City Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents an inner-city area at the heart of street waste complaints, said he has repeatedly pushed for accountability from a department that is run “like a one-person fiefdom.”
Supervisor Gordon Mar called the fraud detailed by the FBI “appalling, and that such behavior went unchecked until now is inexcusable.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

9 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

9 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

10 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

10 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

10 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

10 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

11 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

11 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

12 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

12 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

7 hours ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
7 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
8 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

8 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

9 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

10 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
10 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend