Funny, he doesn't, uh, look like...
Posted on 05/18/2007 6:54:31 PM PDT by csvset
SAN FRANCISCO -- FBI agents carrying out a criminal investigation searched the City Hall office of Supervisor Ed Jew this afternoon, authorities said.
Agents, armed with search warrants, also targeted four other unspecified locations tied to the rookie lawmaker, the sources said.
"The FBI executed sealed search warrants involving potentially federal criminal allegations,'' said FBI spokeswoman Patty Hansen.
Jew, who owns a flower shop in Chinatown, represents the city's Sunset district and was elected last fall. He has served as supervisor just over five months.
Hansen declined comment on what agents were looking for and the other locations that were searched, noting that warrants authorizing the activity were sealed by a federal judge.
E-mail the writers at cvega@sfchronicle.com, wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com, begelko@sfchronicle.com, rselna@sfchronicle.com, jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I wonder what sort of mischief this guy has been up to?
It was funny. My daughter lives with her mother in the Outer Sunset and first we saw “Ed Jew for Supervisor” signs.
They were quickly followed with “Ed Jew for Supervisor” with his picture...
Just so people didn’t get confused.
I used to live near a whole bunch of Jews. Great people. Nice neighbors.
Oh! Nevermind!
some immigration guy couldn’t spell “Chieu”?
This isn’t good. This guy is one of the more conservative people on the board, representing probably the most conservative part of SF.
Recently the FBI seems to specialize in going after the good guys and ignoring the corrupt ones. Frankly, it’s getting to be a badge of honor to have the FBI after you.
On the joke side, notice that Ed Jew “serves on the board of the Chinese Holocaust Museum.”
Are we sure these weren’t militant Muslim fanatics merely disguised as FBI agents? They hate Jews you know.
You must be Estelle.
ESTELLE
Yes. Who are you..?
DONNA
I'm Donna Chang!
ESTELLE
You're not Chinese!
And that puts him to the left of Jorge Bush, maybe. Some conservative.
They did have several Chinese holocausts in WWII.
The Japanese went after them specially all over SE Asia, and in China of course. Nanking is just the tip of the iceberg. The overseas Chinese got it very hard.
No doubt, but you have to take your conservatives where you can get them. Here in SF we are so few on the ground that you have to be pretty broad-minded about who you would call conservative. Thems the facts, and just wishing that we would sink into the ocean or something is just plain idiotic.
Ed Jew? He’ll probably claim he was raided because of his name. But then it could be argued that the idiot voters in San Franfreako thought that they were addign “diversity” to the Board of Supervisors by electing him.
Maybe Cynthia McKinney can come in and campaign for him.
FBI questions S.F. supervisor, searches office
FBI agents carrying out a criminal investigation searched the City Hall office of San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew on Friday and several other properties tied to the rookie lawmaker.
Federal authorities familiar with the probe refused to discuss what the FBI was looking for, but Jew told The Chronicle that agents questioned him about $40,000 in cash he had accepted from a group of businessmen who had sought his help with city permit problems.
"They went through the whole place," Jew said, referring to his City Hall office. "I answered all their questions. I just want to cooperate."
Jew said he believes the businessmen, owners of Quickly tapioca drink shops, told the FBI that the supervisor pressured them to employ a certain consultant to help them resolve problems related to permits needed to continue operating stores.
In the interview, Jew acknowledged recommending a consultant, Robert Chan of Bridgeway Consulting, whom he has known for several years, but insisted he did nothing inappropriate.
Several weeks after making the referral, Jew said the businessmen, whose names he said he didn't recall, asked to meet him at a flower shop he owns at 118 Waverly Place in Chinatown to pay him the $40,000 they said they owed Chan.
Jew said he directed them to pay the consultant themselves, but they arrived anyway, insisted he take the money and declined to accept a receipt when he offered one.
"That was an unorthodox way of paying," Jew said. "I don't know if it violates the law. I know now not to venture into these waters."
Jew said he later met with Chan and gave him the money and asked him to donate half the sum to a playground project at 28th Avenue and Lawton Street in the Sunset District.
Jew said that after FBI agents asked him questions, they seized his City Hall office computers.
By 6:45 p.m. Friday, they told him he was free to go, he said, adding he believes the FBI is "overly looking at this."
Agents, armed with search warrants, also targeted at least four other properties tied to Jew, including the flower shop and homes in the Sunset District and in Burlingame.
"The FBI executed sealed search warrants involving potentially federal criminal allegations," said FBI spokeswoman Patty Hansen.
Hansen declined comment on what agents were looking for, noting that warrants authorizing the activity were sealed by a federal judge.
A City Hall official who was shown the search warrant by the FBI said the document is 12 pages long and includes photographs of the outside of Jew's supervisor office, his flower shop and residential properties in which he has an ownership interest.
The official said the warrant stated that agents are looking for $100 bills and listed multiple pages of currency serial numbers as well as the names of Jew, Chan and the supervisor's wife, Lisa Jew.
A neighbor living next door to a home Jew owned at 28th Avenue and Taraval Street said the residence was vacated two years ago after a burglary and shooting there. No one was injured in the shooting, the neighbor said.
The neighbor, who would not give his name, said four FBI agents had searched the property at about 3:30 p.m. The neighbor said agents removed nothing from the house.
On Friday night, agents searched another home owned by Jew in an upscale Burlingame neighborhood.
Members of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors said they had no warning that the FBI was investigating Jew.
"This is no fun for anybody, and I'm as curious and alarmed as anybody," said Aaron Peskin, president of the Board of Supervisors. "My colleague has not been charged with any crime, and we'll see what comes of this. The FBI has raided City Hall on more than one occasion without anyone being charged with a crime."
Other supervisors were shocked by the developments.
"I wonder what the hell that is about. Holy cow," said Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who learned of the search when contacted by a reporter.
Jew, 47, is one of the more conservative members of the Board of Supervisors.
He is a former local Republican Party vice chairman but changed his party affiliation to Democrat before running for office in 2006.
The Chinese community activist first gained political prominence fighting water rate increases by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
His first race for the Board of Supervisors in 2002 ended in defeat. But he won the open race for District 4 supervisor last fall, beating out better financed candidates supported by Mayor Gavin Newsom and by several incumbent supervisors.
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