3 charged with Caltrans bribery scheme

Friday, July 30, 2010

(07-29) 18:12 PDT SACRAMENTO -- Two Bay Area contractors were charged Thursday with bribing a Caltrans supervisor in Stockton to win state transportation contracts, federal prosecutors said.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento indicted Siavash "Mike" Poursartrip, 56, and Sara Shirazi, 52, both of Walnut Creek, along with the Caltrans employee, Clint Gregory, 48, of Sacramento, on charges of bribery, bid-rigging and fraud, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner's office said.

Prosecutors said Poursartrip and Shirazi gave Gregory money, a Persian rug, a cell phone and other gifts to win contracts for their firm, InfoTek Associates. InfoTek's website describes it as an Oakland company specializing in software and communications.

Each contract was worth less than $131,000, but Caltrans lost a total of more than $1.2 million, prosecutors said.

They said the defendants also paid straw bidders to sidestep a Caltrans rule that at least two contractors must compete for each project.

E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle