Former Los Angeles City Building Inspector Sentenced to Federal Prison for Taking Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Bribe Payments

LOS ANGELES—A former inspector with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for taking 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, pleaded guilty just over one year ago to one count of bribery. According to court documents, In took bribe payments—which he described to some victims as “fees”—from 2007 through the end of 2010. 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 a dozen Koreatown properties.

Federal prosecutors asked United States District Judge Dean D. Pregerson to impose a 30-month prison term, reasoning that In took bribes as part of a “deliberate, long-running pattern of corruption.”

In a sentencing memo filed with the court, prosecutor wrote: “This recommended sentence appropriately accounts for the serious nature of defendant’s illegal course of conduct—abusing his position as a senior building inspector over a number of years to solicit and take bribes in return for approving numerous building projects that may or may not have been safe.”

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 its toll-free corruption hotline—(855) 5-BRIBES (855-527-4237)—or sending an e-mail to ReportBribes@ic.fbi.gov.

Contact:
Assistant United States Attorney Margaret L. Carter
Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section
(213) 894-7413