Paul Pelosi Jr., the son of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, has been caught up in a sixth FBI probe in a five-year investigation that includes the bribery of a San Francisco official in a corrupt real-estate venture involving a squalid flop house owned by his ex-girlfriend.
The at-length investigation is now focusing on an indicted building permit fixer who allegedly bribed a city official. The plot allegedly involved nixing permit violations on Pelosi Jr.’s ex-girlfriend’s property referred to as “The Pit.”
Rodrigo Santos, who is the former president of the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission and was a permit expeditor, was indicted for fraud in November, according to the Daily Mail. Prosecutors contend he arranged for clients to donate thousands of dollars to building inspector Bernie Curran’s favorite non-profit in exchange for permits. Both Santos and Curran deny any wrongdoing and are set to appear in court on February 4.
One of Santos’ clients wrote a check for $1,500 to the Golden Gate Youth Rugby Association in an apparent effort to sway Curran to remove violation notices against the dilapidated Mission District Hotel, better known to building inspectors as “The Pit.” The dump has a lengthy history of permit violations according to text messages obtained by federal investigators.
The clients were not named by prosecutors. But the Daily Mail is reporting that Pelosi Jr. was allegedly attempting to secure permits for the property and fix code violations at the time.
A number of Pelosi Jr.’s associates have been subpoenaed and interviewed including his ex-girlfriend, the building’s former owner, her attorney, and a consultant in the sale of the hotel. All of them assert that FBI agents questioned them about Pelosi Jr.’s involvement in the property.
Pelosi Jr. has admitted he was “helping remove the citations from the property” in a February 2019 report obtained by the Daily Mail.
The criminal complaint against Curran and Santos shows text messages that allegedly discuss...