Lighting Contractor Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Agreeing to Bribe Broward Public Official |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Florida
6 February 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A lighting contractor was sentenced today to one year and a day imprisonment for agreeing to bribe a Broward County public official.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
William E. Pino, 60, of Miami, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom to one year and a day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release during which the defendant is required to perform 300 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. Pino previously pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with offering and agreeing to give something of value to a public official with the intent to influence or reward said public official in connection with a transaction or series of transactions and thereby committing bribery in programs receiving federal funds.
According to the information and the stipulated statement of facts executed by the parties and filed with the Court, Pino was involved in a number of companies in South Florida that were in the business of installing, repairing and maintaining street lights, traffic signals, and traffic systems and the sale of products needed to make such installations and repairs, such as light poles. From in or about April 2012 through on or about June 27, 2012, Pino met with a confidential informant who advised Pino that there were upcoming public works projects in Broward County for traffic systems, traffic signs, street lights and light poles. The informant advised Pino that the informant had a contact in Broward County, but that Pino would need to “take care of” the public official. Pino agreed to ?take care of? the public official.
On or about May 24, 2012, Pino was told that the public official had a purchase order for $100,000 in light poles for Pino’s company. Pino agreed to pay the public official $5,000 in exchange for the purchase order containing $100,000 of his light poles. On or about June 27, 2012, there was a meeting between Pino, the informant, and the public official in Plantation, Florida. Pino was handed a purchase order for his company to provide Broward County with $100,000 worth of light poles and Pino then handed the public official an envelope containing $5,000 in U.S. currency.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.