Mohammed Nuru Explained

Mohammed Nuru (born November 15, 1962, England) is an American former civil servant and convicted criminal. He was formerly the Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works from 2011 until 2020 where he was involved in a corruption scandal. He was convicted of honest services fraud and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Mohammed Nuru
Birth Date:15 November 1962
Birth Place:England, United Kingdom
Alma Mater:Kansas State University
Employer:City and County of San Francisco
Criminal Charges:Honest services fraud
Criminal Penalty:84 months in federal prison
Criminal Status:Incarcerated

Personal life

Nuru was born in the United Kingdom and raised on a farm in Nigeria. In 1983, he immigrated to the United States to study landscape architecture at Kansas State University.[1]

Nuru and San Francisco mayor London Breed dated.[2] [3] Following the corruption scandal, Breed acknowledged having accepted gifts from Nuru during her tenure as Mayor and was fined $8,292 for the ethics violation. The gift involved Nuru paying for repairs to Breed's car.[4] [5]

Career

In 2011 Nuru became the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.[6] During his time as director he worked to improve street sanitation[7] and oversaw drastic changes to the Market Street corridor.[8] Addressing homelessness was a major concern during his time as Director; however Nuru diverted homelessness alleviation funds to his friends.[9]

Nuru was instrumental in adopting the use of liquid repellent paint on city infrastructure to discourage public urination.[10]

He was the chairman of the board of directors at the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.[11]

Corruption scandal

See main article: San Francisco Department of Public Works corruption scandal.

Nuru was arrested by the FBI in January 2020 under charges of "corruption, bribery kickbacks and side deals".[12] [13]

Having previously been "placed on leave and removed from all decision-making since the arrest", Nuru resigned on February 10, 2020, as announced by Mayor Breed."[14]

In June 2021 Nuru was arrested for brandishing a knife at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in Dogpatch in a case unconnected to the alleged bribery.[15] Nuru underwent a court ordered psychiatric evaluation and no charges resulted from the arrest.[16]

In January 2022 Nuru pled guilty to one count of fraud in exchange for a plea bargain.[17] Nuru was subsequently sentenced to 84 months (7 years) in federal prison.[18] [19] After he was sentenced, Nuru was stripped of his city pension of $7,600 per month.[20] Nuru is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Lompoc, California.[21]

Over a dozen San Francisco employees and city contractors have been either charged or found guilty of bribery, money laundering, and fraud as part of the Nuru corruption scandal.[22] [23] [24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Swan . Rachel . 31 January 2020 . Mohammed Nuru's friends in high places now lying low . 26 July 2022 . sfchronicle.com . San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. Web site: February 14, 2020. SF Mayor London Breed Discloses She Once Dated Indicted Former Public Works Director Nuru. 2020-02-16. KPIX-TV. en-US.
  3. Web site: Fracassa. Dominic. 2020-02-15. SF corruption probe: Mayor Breed dated Nuru years ago, discloses 'gift' from him. 2020-02-16. San Francisco Chronicle. en-US.
  4. Web site: WHITE . JEREMY B. . London Breed is beating the progressives. But is she actually fixing anything? . politico.com . Politico . 26 July 2022.
  5. News: San Francisco mayor London Breed fined for ‘significant’ ethics breaches . August 4, 2021 . The Guardian.
  6. Web site: Former SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru Agrees To Plea Guilty 'To A Staggering Amount Of Public Corruption' . cbsnews.com . CBS News . 26 July 2022.
  7. Web site: Bloom . Johnathan . San Francisco Turns to Tech for New Tools to Fight Dirty Streets . nbcbayarea.com . NBC . 26 July 2022.
  8. Web site: Wilson . Tiffany . Plan approved to ban private cars on San Francisco's busy Market Street . abc7news.com . ABC News . 26 July 2022.
  9. Web site: Rodriguez . Joe Fitzgerald . SF Supervisor Seeks to Restore Oversight of Homeless Shelter Contracts Amid Corruption Scandal . kqed.org . KQED . 26 July 2022.
  10. Web site: San Francisco introduces ‘urine-repellant paint’ to discourage public peeing . South China Morning Post . 2015-08-13 . 2023-08-16.
  11. Web site: Contractor Who Managed Building of Salesforce Transit Center Sues for $150 Million . nbcbayarea.com . NBC . 26 July 2022.
  12. News: Heather Knight. January 28, 2020. SF mayors embraced Mohammed Nuru, now charged with corruption, despite red flags. January 30, 2020. San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. News: Michael . Barba . Joshua . Sabatini . Joe Fitzgerald . Rodriguez. January 28, 2020. Mohammed Nuru, head of SF Public Works, arrested in FBI corruption probe. January 30, 2020. San Francisco Examiner.
  14. News: February 10, 2020. SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru resigns in wake of corruption scandal. February 10, 2020. KGO-TV.
  15. News: Sierra . Stephanie . Mohammed Nuru arrested for allegedly pulling knife on someone, trying to steal chips . abc7news.com . June 2, 2021 . ABC News . 26 July 2022.
  16. News: Gartrell . Nate . Federal judge orders former SF public works director Mohammed Nuru to undergo mental health evaluation after arrest . eastbaytimes.com . June 7, 2021 . East Bay Times . 26 July 2022.
  17. News: Barrman . Jay . Mohammed Nuru Says Little, Enters Guilty Plea in SF Fraud Case . sfist.com . January 6, 2022 . SFist . 26 July 2022.
  18. Web site: 2022-08-25 . Former San Francisco Public Works director sentenced to seven years in federal prison . 2022-10-30 . Internal Revenue Service . en.
  19. News: 2022-08-25 . Judge sentences Mohammed Nuru to 7 years in prison for involvement in SF government bribery case . 2022-10-30 . MSN . KGO ABC 7 San Francisco.
  20. News: These former S.F. officials convicted in corruption probe are losing their pensions . J.D. . Morris . July 28, 2023 . The San Francisco Chronicle .
  21. Web site: Inmate Locator . BOP . 2021-02-28 . 2023-03-01.
  22. News: Web of corruption: Explore the cronyism, lies, and federal crimes at the heart of San Francisco’s government . Mission Local . Will . Jarrett . Joe . Eskenazi . November 3, 2021.
  23. News: Fracassa . Dominic . St. John . Barned-Smith . S.F. City Hall scandal: Mohammed Nuru and the other key players in expanding corruption case . The San Francisco Chronicle . 2023-05-03 . 2020-12-01 . 2023-05-05.
  24. Web site: Baustin . Noah . San Francisco Corruption Scandal: A Guide to the Players Involved . The San Francisco Standard . 2023-08-04 . 2023-08-06 . February 1, 2023.

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