Fourth official charged in wastewater bribery scheme

A fourth public official has been charged by federal prosecutors with corrupt solicitation and acceptance of bribes for allegedly taking money from a Honolulu wastewater executive in exchange for awarding sole-source contracts to his company.

Wilfredo Tamayo Savella, 71, will make his initial appearance in federal court Monday at 11 a.m. on federal felony charges unsealed Thursday.

Savella was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Sorenson and Micah Smith for his alleged role in a six-year-long bribery scheme orchestrated by Milton J. Choy, owner and manager of H2O Processes LLC and Central Pacific Controls LLC.

From 2013 through 2017, Savella allegedly accepted bribes from Choy for initiating, awarding and/or acting as Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management’s primary contact person for sole-source contracts, according to federal court documents.

The purported bribes were made with cash, bank deposits, a $1,934 first-class plane ticket to Las Vegas, casino chips and other financial benefits totaling more than $40,000. Savella allegedly helped award “lucrative sole source contracts and purchase orders” to Choy’s company, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Savella worked for the County of Maui’s Department of Environmental Management for 32 years, the last 10 in the role of maintenance mechanic supervisor, a position he held until his retirement on Nov. 30, 2020. Savella was responsible for determining what wastewater treatment equipment needed to be fixed and who got the contracts to fix it.

Choy, 59, pleaded guilty Sept. 19, to bribing another Maui County official, Stewart Olani Stant, 55, who was Savella’s supervisor and DEM director. Stant also pleaded guilty Sept. 19. Both men are awaiting sentencing.

“Corruption by public officials degrades the integrity of our government institutions and tarnishes the important work done every day by honest public servants,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors, in a statement. “Our office continues to investigate and prosecute corruption at all levels of Hawaii government.”

FBI agents documented four instances between June 2015 and August 2017 when Choy allegedly wrote checks to Savella that Savella deposited into his American Savings Bank account. The checks ranged from $1,000 to $25,070. Choy deposited an additional $5,000 directly into Savella’s account, according to the information.

Between July 2014 and December 2017, Maui’s DEM awarded 52 sole source contracts to Choy’s company totaling more than $19 million. Savella was listed as the primary point of contact for 35 of the contracts.

“Mr. Savella was in a position of public trust, and our investigation shows he violated that trust by accepting thousands of dollars in bribes,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill in a statement. “These charges should send a very clear message that the FBI will vigorously purse allegations of corruption at every level.”

If convicted, Savella faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

After the U.S. Department of Justice told Choy that he was the target of the Maui probe, he became the government informant who helped the FBI set up a sting operation that led to the arrest of two former state lawmakers, both of whom pleaded guilty to taking money.

Choy was a familiar face at the state Capitol and a prolific donor to Hawaii political campaigns.

The revelation that he was at the heart of the federal sting operation that ended the political careers of former Sen. Majority Leader J. Kalani English and the former vice chair of the House Committee on Finance, Rep. Ty J.K. Cullen, prompted some lawmakers to seek professional legal advice.

As of Sept. 20, 31 incumbent candidates have returned $142,650 in contributions from Choy to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

Once Choy was arrested for his role in the Maui case, he helped the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office by offering bribes to English, 55, of Maui, and Cullen, 41, who represented Central Oahu.

Federal court documents detail how the two former lawmakers introduced, managed and killed legislation at Choy’s request in exchange for Las Vegas casino chips, cash, hotel rooms and dinners for family members.

Choy was not charged with bribing Cullen and English, both of whom pleaded guilty to taking bribes.

English was sentenced in July to 40 months in federal prison for accepting $18,305 in cash from Choy in exchange for inside information on the Legislature and managing legislation to benefit H20 Process Systems between 2014 and 2021.

Cullen is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 19.