Last updated: November 2023
In January, 2020, the first domino fell.
Mohammad Nuru, then the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works, was hit with a raft of federal corruption charges and was accused of lying to the FBI – crimes that could see him in prison for up to 25 years.
At the time, U.S. Attorney David Anderson commented on the allegations by saying, “corruption is pouring into San Francisco from around the world.”
The following two years seem to have proven him right. Multiple heads of city government departments have since been ousted from their jobs over allegations of corruption. City employees and contractors have pleaded guilty to charges of bribery, money laundering, and fraud; others are professing their innocence as charges continue to pile up.
The federal and local investigations have touched building inspectors, real estate brokers, and even a Chinese billionaire. From Public Works to the Mayor’s Office to the Public Utilities Commission, new charges are springing up, hydra-like, month after month.
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With so many interconnected allegations flying around the city, it can be difficult to keep track of exactly who is involved with what. We have created an interactive graphic to show the connections between the people and organizations that have loomed large in investigations, based on the reporting of Joe Eskenazi. As more players are swept into the maw — and as connections between players become established — we will update this item.
Click on the circles below to find out more. Click the lines between circles to understand how the two are connected.
Some have been charged, others have been found guilty. Others have had no charges brought. See how they are connected.
You can find a fullscreen version of the chart here.
Please note that inclusion on this chart does not necessarily imply wrongdoing, only connection with city investigations. The chart is also not exhaustive – there will be links that are not captured here. We will update the chart as investigations develop.
Test your knowledge
How well do you know the corruption scandal that has rocked San Francisco for the past two years? Click on the question boxes to see the answers.Question 1: Who pleaded guilty to bribing Mohammed Nuru with a Rolex worth nearly $40,000?
Question 2: Out of all the people on our map who have pleaded guilty to charges, how many are directly connected to Mohammed Nuru?
Question 3: How much did Recology overcharge San Francisco taxpayers from 2017–20?
Question 4: How are former Public Utilities Commission boss Harlan Kelly and former senior inspector Bernie Curran connected?
Question 5: How are Mayor London Breed and federally accused restaurateur Nick Bovis connected?
Question 6: What is the smallest number of jumps you can make to get from Balmore Hernandez to Rodrigo Santos?
Question 7: Who officiated the wedding of former city administrator Naomi Kelly and former Public Utilities Commission general manager Harlan Kelly?
Question 8: Which non-profit held a subaccount that was used as a slush fund by Mohammed Nuru?
Question 9: What service did Walter Wong-affiliated company Alternate Choice LLC provide San Francisco?
Question 10: What have Balmore Hernandez, Alan Verela and William Gilmartin pleaded guilty to using in an attempt to bribe Mohammed Nuru?
The strange and terrible saga of Mohammed Nuru turns the page: Judge hands down 7-year sentence
by JOE ESKENAZI and CAROLYN STEINAUGUST 25, 2022
Mohammed Nuru booked for attempted robbery: accused of demanding man’s chips at knifepoint
by CLARA-SOPHIA DALY and JOE ESKENAZIJUNE 2, 2021
Mohammed Nuru: San Francisco bought and sold by a confederacy of dunces
by JOE ESKENAZINOVEMBER 23, 2020
WILL JARRETT
DATA REPORTER. Will was born in the UK and studied English at Oxford University. After a few years in publishing, he absconded to the USA where he studied data journalism in New York. Will has strong views on healthcare, the environment, and the Oxford comma.More by Will Jarrett
JOE ESKENAZI
Managing Editor/Columnist. Joe was born in San Francisco, raised in the Bay Area, and attended U.C. Berkeley. He never left.
“Your humble narrator” was a writer and columnist for SF Weekly from 2007 to 2015, and a senior editor at San Francisco Magazine from 2015 to 2017. You may also have read his work in the Guardian (U.S. and U.K.); San Francisco Public Press; San Francisco Chronicle; San Francisco Examiner; Dallas Morning News; and elsewhere.
He resides in the Excelsior with his wife and three (!) kids, 4.3 miles from his birthplace and 5,474 from hers.
The Northern California branch of the Society of Professional Journalists named Eskenazi the 2019 Journalist of the Year.
