District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced today that felony charges have been filed against Lanita Henriquez, the director of the San Francisco Community Challenge Grant Program, which is run from the Office of the City Administrator. Henriquez was arrested this morning.
Charges have also been filed against consultant, businessman and fixer Rudolph Dwayne Jones, the founder and president of Bayview’s RDJ Enterprises, an outfit promising to “seamlessly integrate the needs of government, business, and community stakeholders to ensure that projects successfully move from concept to completion.”
A warrant has been issued for Jones’ arrest. He remains at large. A call to RDJ Enterprises led to a recorded voice advertising a “special offer,” and then automatically disconnecting. He did not pick up a call to his mobile phone.
A criminal complaint — which the DA will not release prior to arraignment — alleges that Henriquez and Jones misappropriated public money between 2016 and 2020. Jones purportedly wrote Henriquez multiple checks in 2017 and 2018 totaling $25,000, while Henriquez allegedly directed some 23 contracts to Jones-controlled entities, in which she had a financial stake, between 2016 and 2020.
The value of those contracts exceeded $1.4 million. Henriquez received nearly $33,000 from Jones-controlled entities in the run-up to their signing and during their duration. Her “family members and close associates” received 48 checks from Jones-controlled entities for nearly $157,000.
Henriquez has been charged with one count of misappropriation of public money in violation of California Penal Code section 424; six counts of bribery in violation of Penal Code section 68, and twenty-three counts of financial conflict of interest in a Government Contract, in violation of Government Code section 1090(a).
Jones has been charged with one count of misappropriation of public money in violation of California Penal Code section 424; six counts of bribery in violation of Penal Code section 67.5, and twenty-three counts of aiding and abetting a financial conflict of interest in a government contract, in violation of Government Code section 1090(b).
Today’s action was described in a press release as the result of an ongoing investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Task Force with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Francisco Field Office. “My office will continue to investigate allegations of misconduct by public officials and employees, and our work with our federal partners will be a key part of that effort,” read a statement from Jenkins.
Jones’ name has come up several times in recent investigations. In 2020, he was accused of cashing in by consulting for applicants to a PUC community benefits program he helped to create. In 2017, during the Recology rate-setting process in which Recology has admitted participating in a bribery scheme to goose what ratepayers pay, Jones served as “ratepayer advocate.”
He worked in the mayor’s office between 2004 and 2010 — and has been described by city insiders as “[Governor] Gavin Newsom’s guy in Bayview.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as possible.
Update, Aug. 30: Checking the Sheriff’s Department inmate finder reveals that Jones was booked into jail today at 3:37 p.m., where he is being held on $50,000 bond.
Henriquez will have her first court appearance Thursday morning.
Keep up the good work, Joe. We need greedy politicians and employees to be exposed and held accountable. The citizens of this City deserve more than the “Oh well, that’s just how it’s done here,” play-to-pay attitudes.
Thank you so much for your journalism, Mr. Eskanazi. It matters!
It’s amazing that with all the malfeasance that has happened and is happening at the Department of Building Inspection that DA Jenkins has not filed any complaints against anybody at DBI. While her actions are heartening to see she still cut 2 of the 3 members of the Public Integrity Task Force. That speaks volumes as well!
Wow! Excellent point
Nice article. It is truly unfortunate that the SFPUC wastewater managers got away with their scams, corruption, and tomfoolery. The honest employees that work there deserve better (yes, the majority of them are honest and hard working).
This is an obvious sign that the Fed’s investigation in the city is over. The city’s weight and resources pale in comparison to the federal government. This is a slam dunk for the feds, so for them to pass this up, tells you everything you need to know about their interest and that public corruption is no longer a priority.
Nice expose, thanks Joe Eskanazi. Reports like this underscore the importance of independent audits and accountability, little of which exist in the city of San Francisco.
I don’t know if this is such great reporting as much as there is a blackout of real news in San Francisco. So just a report of corruption meets with gratefulness given that. Whether these charges would have ever been brought if the FBI was not looking over shoulders is not pursued in this story. To me it merits thought and investigation.
Thanks
One step at a time; exposing so many aspects of our San Francisco leadership that are broken.
Doesn’t look good but reserving judgement until evidence is presented and responded to. The feds/ prosecutors are not always right. Doesnt look good…..
It is my conclusion the “City” is charging the spade to same the queen. With all the soldiers dropping one by one with a direct line leading up to Room 200.
$1m or so in fixed contracts in this case is a drop compared to the big pod of at least $40m in the SFPUC Community Benefit scam that Dwyane and Harlan and many others have used. The record of where the millions went is still an undisclosed family secret. Everyone in the family benefited from it and it was time to sacrifice the bag man, he will not sing the song and will get a “local reduced sentencing just like Victor!
Its all about the family milking the city to the last cent and last brick standing. Now Carmen is in it….
Excellent. Keep up the good work, Brooke. 1090 is a bear of a statute – I have litigated that many times. And thanks for the story on this as I saw nothing about it anywhere else.
Great work, Joe, for digging into this! Catching these corruptions are critical for the city and building trust!!