Former City Official Charged in S.F. Teen-Age Sex Inquiry

A secret grand jury investigation of alleged police collusion with a teen-age prostitution ring has instead ensnared a former ranking city official who was accused Tuesday of paying for sex with girls as young as 14.

At the same time, newly unsealed indictments show that 12 others, including a San Francisco police officer, also were accused of buying sex from underage girls working out of a brothel near historic Mission Dolores.

Additionally, a San Francisco man, Patrick Dale Roberts, 40, was accused of running the brothel and was jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Dist. Atty. Arlo Smith said several other operators are being sought.

The case has won intense local interest, both for the prominence of rumored investigation targets and because a policeman assigned to the case was shot to death last July. His killer is not known and Smith said his death is “totally unrelated” to the investigation.

In addition to retired Chief Administrative Officer Roger Boas, 67, charges have been filed against Police Officer Patrick Miyagishima, 32. Both surrendered and posted bail.

Smith said three others who were indicted--John Azevedo, 46, and Somen Kai Toy, 49, of San Francisco, and Sanford Allison, 44, of Concord--also surrendered and were released on bail. The eight other suspects will not be identified until they surrender, Smith said.

Boas, a San Francisco car dealer and one-time chairman of the California Democratic Party, was selected by two mayors, George R. Moscone and Dianne Feinstein, to serve for a decade as the city’s second-in-command before running unsuccessfully for mayor himself last fall.

Reading from a prepared statement at his lawyer’s office, Boas bemoaned the publicity attending the case, then summarized his life as a decorated soldier, successful businessman, respected public official and devoted family man.

“Since I will address the charges in the proper manner (in court), I will not comment at this time on the specifics of those charges,” he said. “I do, however, want to say this: During my entire life, I have always done my utmost to be constructive, honest and productive.”