Samuel In: Former L.A. City Building Inspector Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges of Taking Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Bribe Payments

English: The Seal of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. For more information, see here. Español: El escudo del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI). Para obtener más información, véase aquí (Inglés). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ex-Inspector Solicited and Received Bribes Primarily from Koreatown Businesses

LOS ANGELES—A former inspector with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) has been named in a federal bribery case that alleges he took more than $30,000 in bribes in relation to at least a dozen properties in and around the Koreatown District of Los Angeles.

Samuel In, 66, of Glendale, a 37-year veteran of LADBS, agreed in documents filed late yesterday to plead guilty to one count of soliciting and receiving monetary payments that In described to victims as “fees.”

According to a criminal information and a plea agreement filed yesterday afternoon in United States District Court, In admitted taking bribe payments from 2007 through the end of 2010.

“Corruption by any official corrodes public confidence in governmental institutions,” said United States Attorney André Birotte, Jr. “In this case, a government employee directly threatened the safety of the public by exploiting his position to line his own pockets. The victims were all the more vulnerable because they had limited abilities in English and depended on Mr. In to help them navigate through the inspection processes.”

In one example described in court documents, a victim identified as T.C., who wanted to open a retail store in Los Angeles in 2008, paid $5,000 to In. To open the store, the victim needed to convert office space in a process that required a building permit. The victim had limited English language ability and had a difficult time completing the LADBS paperwork. During one of the victim’s visits to LADBS’ offices, In assisted the victim in the Korean language, informing him that he was a senior inspector at LADBS, and advising the victim about construction plans.

The victim followed In’s advice and received a building permit from LADBS. Following the issuance of the permit, In went to the victim’s business and said he would take care of the inspections and other procedures through the final inspection of the retail store, if the victim paid In $4,000 in “fees.” In later increased the amount of his “fees” to $5,000, asked that any payments by check be made with the payee line left blank, and advised that checks made payable to LADBS would not be useful. The victim ultimately made several cash payments totaling $5,000.

As part of his plea agreement, In admitted that he solicited and accepted bribery payments totaling more than $30,000 in connection with his official duties in relation to at least 11 other Koreatown properties.

“Mr. In took advantage of Koreatown residents by taking their money under false pretenses but also by deluding victims into a false understanding of how city business is conducted,” said Bill Lewis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles. “The defendant’s decision to plead guilty is another step forward in restoring honest government to the city of Los Angeles.”

In will be summoned to make an initial appearance in United States District Court later this month.

The FBI began an undercover investigation of LADBS inspectors in the summer of 2010, after an informant reported that LADBS inspectors took cash bribes in exchange for necessary permit approvals on residential construction projects. Two former inspectors pleaded guilty to accepting bribe payments and were sentenced to federal prison.

The charge of bribery carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

The case against In is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI urges anyone with information about building inspectors or other officials accepting bribes to contact the FBI by calling its Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565 or by sending an e-mail to the dedicated anti-corruption address: [email protected].

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