SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, February 27, 2026, retired San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) engineer, Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Pada, 70, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for his involvement in a bribery scheme at his sentencing hearing in San Francisco. He must voluntarily surrender by Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Northern District of California District Judge Susan Illston denied a request for house arrest because of bad health, but according to Illston, he was cited as a “fundamental betrayal” to the public’s trust.
From 2003 to September 2017, investigations revealed that Pada accepted bribes, which included cash, free meals and drinks from executives at SIA Consulting, while he worked as a DBI plan checker.
In December 2013, he received a concealed $85,000 interest-free loan from developer Sia Tahbazof. From 2017 to 2019, after he retired from working with the city of San Francsico, he resumed accepting bribes, which totaled $6,800, as he worked for a private consulting firm in Millbrae.
In May 2022, he was charged through a criminal complaint. On November 2, 2023, he was charged by federal information with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. On December 8, 2023, he officially pled guilty to the charges.
