Ex-city official pleads guilty to taking cash bribes
The fifth city employee who took cash bribes to move plans through the city Department of Planning and Permitting entered a plea of guilty Wednesday as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Jocelyn Godoy, 60, was working in the DPP’s Data Access and Imaging Branch when she allegedly solicited and took bribes from an architect and third-party reviewer, according to court records. She entered a plea of guilty to a single count of honest services wire fraud Wednesday morning before Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson.
ADVERTISING
Godoy, a current city employee, faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250, 000, a term of supervised release up to three years and a $100 special assessment. She will be sentenced by Watson at 9 a.m. Aug. 30. She will remain free on supervised release ahead of her sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig S. Nolan and Michael D. Nammar, who are prosecuting the case for the government, declined comment. Godoy’s attorney, Victor J. Bakke, declined comment.
“We will review any updates to her plea status and address it accordingly.
However, because this is a personnel matter, we have no other details to share at this time, ” said Curtis Lum, public information officer for DPP, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
In response to questions about Godoy’s current employment status, the city told the Star-Advertiser that “civil service rules prevent the city from taking action ” that may deprive an employee of their pay and other benefits until a complete “deliberative process and determination can be made of any alleged wrongdoing.”
DPP didn’t identify Godoy’s current role with the city.
Godoy’s immigration status also might come into question given her guilty plea. A message left with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately returned Wednesday.
In a statement to the Star-Advertiser, DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna said the indictments were a “by-product of a system that has lacked basic infrastructure, including standard operating procedures and systems of accountability.”
“Combined with a permitting backlog, DPP was susceptible to exploitation, ” Takeuchi Apuna added. “To prevent further wrongdoing, the DPP is building standard processes and systems that instruct and guide employees how to properly perform their jobs and to instill accountability. The Department has conducted numerous investigations in the past two years to better understand where exploitation may be happening and to demonstrate that there are consequences for any alleged wrongdoing.”
According to the memorandum of plea agreement filed Wednesday, between September 2019 and November 2020, Godoy was employed by the city Depart -ment of Planning and Permitting Data Access and Imaging Branch.
“During the employment, the defendant engaged in a scheme to secretly use her official position to enrich herself by taking bribes in exchange for official actions, ” read the agreement.
Godoy “solicited and accepted gifts, payments, and other things of value totaling at least $820.25 ” from an architect and third-party reviewer, referred to in federal court records as “Architect 1.” Godoy provided “favorable official action ” on behalf of Architect 1 as requested and as opportunities arose, including by emailing him electronic copies of DPP documents in response to electronic communications.
