Pinoy businessman arrested in NY over bribery charges

A Filipino businessman in New York City was recently arrested for allegedly resorting to bribes to ensure that his electrical-design company gets lucrative contracts, according to a June 5 report on Forbes.

Citing a statement from Kelly Currie, acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the Forbes report said Rodolfo Quiambao, 71, paid more than $6.9 million in bribes and kickbacks to Con Edison managers over the past decade in exchange for contracts.

The report said the illegal scheme continued even after the 2009 arrest of 10 Con Edison supervisors for allegedly receiving about $1 million in kickbacks from contractors in exchange for approving padded invoices.

It said from 2009 to 2011, Quiambao's company, Rudell & Associates, received $30 million from Con Edison.

The cover was blown for Quiambao in 2011 when Con Edison section manager Sassine Razzouk was arrested and pleaded guilty to taking bribes from him, the report said.

"Today’s arrest is one more domino to fall in a long line of Con Ed employees and contractors involved in systematic corruption that has left the consumer to foot the bill through higher rates," US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Raymond Parmer said in a statement.

Rudell & Associates was previously ordered by the US Department of Labor to pay $295,541 in unpaid wages to 50 H-1B foreign workers in a clear violation of labor laws.

Quiambao was named one of non-profit Asian American Business Development Center's Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business in 2007.

A separate report on The FilAm said Quiambao is a graduate of civil engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology. He and his wife migrated to the US in the 1970s.In the 1980s, he was active in the Filipino-American community.

The FilAm report, citing friends of the Quiambaos, also said the couple was close with the late President Cory Aquino and husband Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., parents of incumbent Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

The FilAm report also said Mr. Quiambao will issue a statement "at the appropriate time." —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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