Los Angeles building inspector gets 21 months in bribery

A Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety inspector who was caught accepting bribes in an FBI sting operation was sentenced Monday to one year and nine months in prison.

Raoul Germain, 60, was “very remorseful” about his deeds but did not cooperate with federal investigators trying to gauge the extent of corruption in the agency, said his lawyer, Steven Cron. Asked why Germain did not help the FBI, Cron said: “What do you think happens to someone who cooperates?”

“There is certainly the possibility of danger to oneself or one’s family,” the lawyer added.

Germain, a resident of Altadena, was one of two men caught on tape accepting bribes involving multiple building sites in South Los Angeles. In exchange for thousands of dollars, Germain signed off on electrical work, plumbing and framing — sometimes without visiting the construction sites, according to an affidavit filed by FBI agents.

U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder declined Germain’s request for a lighter sentence, imposing the 21 months that had been sought by prosecutors.

“I recognize that Mr. Germain is 60 years of age,” she said. “I think, however, that the offense is one that is serious.”

Cron said his client had a “short-term lapse of judgment” and felt he “lost the best job he ever had because he got greedy.”

Assistant U.S. Atty. Joseph Akrotirianakis refused to respond to Cron’s comment on the dangers of helping investigators. But he said that “as a very general matter,” cooperating with investigators can make someone angry. “I don’t know of any facts that suggest that the danger is more particular in this case,” he said.

Sentencing for Hugo Gonzalez, a second city inspector who pleaded guilty, is scheduled for Oct. 3.

A federal grand jury has demanded personnel records for a dozen Building and Safety employees, including Gonzalez and Germain. Two other Building and Safety employees have been fired in the wake of a parallel city investigation.

david.zahniser@latimes.com