SAN DIEGO
At a sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel noted that Timothy Francis Cashman was a religious man who performed many good deeds and selfless acts throughout his life.
Still, the judge on Friday told a packed courtroom of friends, family and supporters who requested leniency for Cashman that it is “vital;” that people understood that “quid pro quo is not the status quo; quid pro quo is not acceptable,” officials said.
Judge Curiel sentenced Cashman, a Building Manager for the General Services Administration or GSA, to 16 months for accepting bribes and stealing property owned by the federal government, officials said.
In addition, the judge ordered Cashman, of Lakeside, California, to pay $50,057 as restitution.
Government contractor Hugo Alonso Inc. and its principal, Hugo Alonso, previously plead guilty and were sentenced.
In total, 11 individuals plead guilty in related corruption investigations.
Over a number of years, Cashman, 54, provided favorable treatment relating to the awarding of GSA contracts.
During the sentencing, the evidence showed how Cashman used his position with GSA — overseeing operations and maintenance at the Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, and Tecate Ports of Entry — for his personal enrichment rather than to fulfill GSA’s core mission of delivering “the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people.”
For example, officials said he demanded $10,000 in cash and thousands of dollars’ worth of construction and renovation services on Cashman’s personal residence from Hugo Alonso Inc.
These services included having Alonso Inc. paint Cashman’s Lakeside home and replace his roof and windows free of charge.
The former GSA building manager also demanded that Alonso Inc. pay another government contractor, identified by officials as Company “A” $120,000 in exchange for Alsonso Inc.being awarded a GSA construction contract at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, according to officials.
Subsequently, officials said Cashman accepted six checks from Company “A” totaling $42,000, which he deposited into his personal account. All of the income he received from Alonso Inc. was concealed from the IRS when submitting his federal income tax returns.
In addition to accepting bribes from Alonso Inc., Cashman improperly obtained thousands of dollars in valuable federal government building materials for his own benefit by causing GSA contractors and others to remove and transport such materials away from GSA facilities where he could sell or use them without the knowledge of GSA, according to authorities.
Among other things, Cashman instructed government contractors to do the following:
- In March 2011, to load approximately 25 stainless steel panels located at the San Ysidro Port of Entry into his personal Ford truck
- In January 2012, to load 35 heavy brass letters (spelling out “United States Border Inspection Station” and weighing approximately 2,000 pounds) into his personal truck
- In December 2012, to collect approximately 3,000 feet of underground copper cable belonging to the government and to deliver it to his personal residence
- In November 2013, to set aside for his personal sale a large quantity of underground copper cable and about 5 aluminum panels located at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy remarked that the Cashman case demonstrates that combatting public corruption in all its forms will remain one of her office’s highest priorities.