2nd Recology employee charged with bribery, money laundering in San Francisco City Hall investigation

(Rich Hay/Unsplash)

By Sri Ravipati

(SAN FRANCISCO) The federal probe of San Francisco City Hall's corruption scandal continues as another Recology executive is charged with bribery and money laundering in a federal complaint issued Thursday.

The FBI charged John Francis Porter, the former vice president and group manager of Recology San Francisco, which provides the city's collection and disposal of waste services.

Porter, a 37-year-old San Francisco resident, is accused of bribing former Director of San Francisco Department of Public Works Mohammed Nuru to raise Recology's “tipping fees” charged to the city. Federal authorities said Nuru accepted bribes from Recology when the company's rates increased in the summer of 2018.

The complaint alleges Porter was "a central player in the scheme" who provided Nuru with a continuous stream of money and benefits.

Porter is the second Recology employee charged. Paul Giusti, the government and community relations manager who reported to Porter, was charged on Nov. 18 for similar conduct. Porter allegedly leveraged Giusti's personal connection to Nuru to increase rates.

"Once again a person employed by a company contracting with San Francisco has been charged with bribing a San Francisco City Hall official with more than $1 million of funds and benefits,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds said in the complaint.

So far, 11 defendants have been charged and multiple defendants have pled guilty in the San Francisco City Hall corruption case.

Porter is scheduled to appear in court on April 20 at 10:30 a.m. in San Francisco before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. 

If convicted of bribery, Porter faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. If convicted of money laundering, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000, according to the complaint.

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