A Hews Media Group-Community News investigation has found that Central Basin Municipal Water District General Manager Kevin Hunt was named in a 2006 civil complaint, accused of scheming with convicted felon Albert T. (Big Al) Robles in illegally altering a contract.
The goal: So Mr. Hunt’s company, Psomas Engineering, could win a lucrative $2.3 million project from the city of South Gate and so Mr. Robles could get massive kickbacks to funnel to himself and relatives.
In a settlement agreement forged just months later in 2007, and obtained exclusively by Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper, Psomas paid an eye-popping $875,000 to settle with South Gate.
When we contacted Psomas General Counsel Debra Lambeck, she was not pleased that we had a copy of the settlement agreement. “How did you get that?” she asked. “That’s really odd that you have that.”
The civil case was filed in October 2006 by the Los Angeles-based law firm of Adorno, Yoss, Alvarado, and Smith, after Mr. Robles and his accomplices were found guilty by federal prosecutors in July 2005. Each was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The revelation could lead to the removal of the controversial general manager who has recently engineered a takeover of the Central Basin Board, using questionable appointees, while allying himself with embattled Director Leticia Vasquez and President Bob Apodaca, who cost Central Basin $670,000 to settle a sexual harassment complaint.
The 20-page complaint cited several violations of federal and state contract law, including fraud and deceit, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
The complaint blasted Mr. Hunt and Psomas, saying they “entered into a scam to deprive South Gate of honest services, made false statements and representations to South Gate intended to deceive the city, bribed a public official and otherwise engaged in fraud, deceit, and other illegal activities.”
There were four main parts of the scheme, all designed to get Mr. Robles his kickbacks, with Mr. Hunt his willing accomplice.
Mr. Hunt, according to the complaint, was responsible for:
- Illegally altering the initial contract with South Gate
Misleading city officials during a special presentation
3. Executing illegal subcontracts
4. Checks made out to Mr. Robles’ cronies for later kickbacks.
This story originated at www.loscerritosnews.net