Linking Building and Safety bribery allegations with consulting firm

Just another example of City Hall's muck and mire. The FBI is investigating bribery allegations involving a a Korean-speaking building inspector named Samuel In, who several years ago was CEO of a consulting firm named Grande Vista Associates - a recipient of housing authority contracts that didn't involve competitive bidding. Victor Taracena, a construction manager for the authority, was implicated in the rigged contests. From LAT's Dave Zahniser:

A federal grand jury indicted Taracena in May on bribery and conspiracy charges, accusing him of awarding contracts to phony companies created by his brothers and then receiving kickbacks. Grande Vista was not mentioned in the indictment. Taracena is believed to be in Guatemala and has not entered a plea. Neither Valdivia nor his lawyer would comment. A spokesman for the housing authority said his agency still does not know if Grande Vista performed the job for which it was paid. In said he received no income from Grande Vista and got involved with the firm as a volunteer only to learn more about public outreach, one of the services the firm provides. In also said Valdivia asked him to be an officer. "I'm a very simple person. If I can help people, I will help. It's all a positive thing for me," he said.