Sometimes it’s all about the swag.
A former San Francisco Public Works manager is facing five felony charges for allegedly hiding his role in a company that made over a quarter of a million dollars in no-bid contracts for T-shirts and other swag provided to San Francisco Public Works employees, according to reporting by NBC Bay Area.
SDL Merchandising is a company Gerald "Jerry" Sanguinetti allegedly owned and was run by his wife Gina.
Sanguinetti is facing two misdemeanor charges as well for failing to disclose those ties in financial statements to the city.
Sanguinetti is scheduled to appear in court next month.
The District Attorney’s office says that SDL was paid $262,947 for DPW workers shirts and other swag between 2013 and 2019, the year Sanguinetti left the city.
SDL did not get the money directly from the city, but was paid through an off-the-books account managed by the non-profit San Francisco Parks Alliance on behalf of top public works officials.
And it’s not just Sanguinetti caught in the crossfire.
According to federal prosecutors, former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru used the Parks Alliance account to collect bribes, including hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars from former Recology executives who were also recently charged. Public Works managers, including Nuru, then used the funds to pay for employee parties, DPW attire for employees, company picnics, and other items, such as a treadmill for the DPW operations yard.
In a statement, Parks Alliance Director Drew Becher said the non-profit was "exploited by specific individuals within the Department of Public Works" and he supports the city’s review.
"Public employees must serve the public, not use their position for their own financial gain," said District Attorney Chesa Boudin in a statement about the charges filed by his office. "Failing to disclose financial conflicts of interests while profiting at the city’s expense violates public trust."
Public Works officials said Thursday they are cooperating with all investigations and they expect employees to comply with ethics rules.
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