Written by William Hale
A contract manager for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has recently come under fire for colluding with companies bidding for improvement and repair contracts. Choon Foo “Keith” Yong has pleaded guilty to federal prosecutors along with FBI investigators, the joint investigation functions under the Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force.
Yong conspired with multiple co-conspirators who’s companies were engaging in “shambids” in order for Yong to ensure a particular contractor won the Caltrans contracts. Once the rigging was executed, the winning contractor would distribute benefits to the various contractors who conspired in the scheme by submitting fake bids. As the Caltrans manager, Yong would get 10% of the value for each transaction — with the total value of all the contracts (early 2015 to late 2019) estimated to be worth more than $8 million.
Despite these details being evident in Yong’s plea deal, the contract manager seems to have not disclosed the companies and co-conspirators involved in the scheme. However, through Yong’s cooperation with prosecutors, it was learned that Yong received bribes of up to $800,000 in cash when accounting for additional home remodeling, furniture and wine that he also received.
“Caltrans takes these matters seriously and is fully cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further,” said Caltrans in a statement.
While defense attorney Tom Johnson was quoted saying that Yong is “…looking forward to getting this behind him and moving on to the next chapter in his life,” that next chapter could potentially take form in jail for a maximum of up to 10 years, although prosecutors have agreed to recommend a low-end sentence in exchange for his cooperation.
Yong’s sentencing is set for August.
Photo Cred: Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG
