William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI, today announced that three separate Informations were filed charging Bobby G. Cuevas, age 48, of Cleveland, Ohio; Lawrence (“Larry”) P. Skule, age 63, of Rocky River, Ohio; and, Richard M. Kocuba, age 64, of Cleveland, Ohio, with one count each of extortion under color of official right.
Bobby G. Cuevas
The Information states that in the Spring of 2006, Cuevas solicited and received cash
bribes from an FBI undercover agent (“UCA”) posing as an investor in La Copa Bar & Grille (“La Copa”), a dining and entertainment establishment located at 2704 Clark Avenue, Cleveland.
Cuevas was then employed as a building inspector for The City of Cleveland Building and Housing Department (“CBHD”). Cuevas was responsible for inspecting structural work on commercial and residential construction projects within the City of Cleveland to ensure compliance with the City of Cleveland’s building and zoning codes.
The CBHD Code Chapter 3107 required that all commercial property construction and renovation be performed by contractors who are registered, licensed, bonded and pre-approved by CBHD to do the work. In order for a property owner to obtain a permit from CBHD, he or she must hire an approved general contractor. The Information charges that Cuevas knew that none of the contractors working on La Copa were registered with the City of Cleveland and that La Copa needed to find registered contractors who would obtain permits for La Copa and misrepresent to the City of Cleveland that they were doing the work.
The Information further charges that from on or about March 9, 2006 through on or about March 28, 2006, Cuevas (using his official position) offered to find registered HVAC, plumbing, electrical and general contractors who would obtain permits for La Copa and misrepresent to the City of Cleveland that they were doing the work at La Copa. The UCA gave Cuevas $2,600 in cash all of which Cuevas transferred to the four registered contractors. Cuevas intended that the funds would cover the La Copa permit fees plus an extra payment for each registered contractor in exchange for their services in obtaining the permits and allowing their names to be used for the work at La Copa.
The Information further alleges that on or about May 4, 2006, Cuevas solicited and received from the UCA $200 in cash in exchange for allowing La Copa to use 25 gauge studs instead of 20 gauge studs in a knee wall at La Copa which saved La Copa approximately $800 in construction costs. And, on or about August 10, 2006, Cuevas requested and accepted from the UCA a $1,500 cash payment in exchange for the favors Cuevas had done for the UCA relating to LaCopa.
Lawrence (“Larry”) P. Skule
The Information states that Skule received hundreds of dollars in cash, using his official position of Chief Plumbing Inspector with the City of Cleveland Building and Housing Department (“CBHD”). As an agent of CBHD, Skule was responsible for inspecting plumbing work on commercial and residential construction projects within the City of Cleveland to ensure compliance with the City of Cleveland’s building and zoning codes.
The Information further states that Skule received a bribe from a purchaser of houses from New York to reduce the prices of a house using CBHD violation notices and removing those violations after receiving cash payments.
Richard M. Kocuba
The Information states that Kocuba received $500 in cash, using his official position of electrical inspector with the City of Cleveland Building and Housing Department (“CBHD”). As an agent of CBHD, Kocuba was responsible for inspecting electrical work on commercial and residential construction projects within the City of Cleveland to ensure compliance with the City of Cleveland’s building and zoning codes.
The Information states that Kocuba received cash payments from representatives of Wing Hin Construction, a construction contractor in Cleveland, Ohio, for expediting the CBHD approval process so that an ice cream shop project, Sweethearts Ice Cream in Cleveland, Ohio, could open and begin to receive income.
If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after review of
factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offenses and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Roberts, Ann C. Rowland and Antoinette T. Bacon following investigation by the Cleveland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.
An Information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. |