A closing circle

Awellrun city wouldn’t need Walter Wong, a hovering figure in the development world who hustles projects through San Francisco’s tangled bureaucracy. Now Wong is copping a plea on fraud charges linked to his work as permit expediter with friends in all the right places.

He’s promising to cooperate with federal investigators delving into payoffs and money laundering. His pledge to spill secrets should worry city leaders present and past who had cultivated Wong for his connections.

For a builder or developer seeking a shortcut on a project, Wong was the man to see. He breezed through the red tape, made personal friends of top officials and wasn’t shy about helping politicians.

The charges flesh out this picture, but his future cooperation with prosecutors suggest much more. In announcing the plea deal, U.S. Attorney David Anderson warned, “We will distinguish sharply between those who cooperate and those who do not.”

In January, the saga began with the arrest of Public

Works Director Mohammed Nuru, a confidant of former Mayor Ed Lee and Mayor London Breed. FBI agents raided Wong’s office and carted away documents. Next came a plea bargain with Nick Bovis, a restaurateur portrayed as in league with Nuru in seeking city deals. Sandra Zuniga, who ran the city’s neighborhood services program, was charged this month with laundering the money Nuru collected illegally. In total, seven people in and out of city offices are named in the investigation.

Added to the Wong backstory is the length and size of the claims. The federal charges allege misdeeds dating to 2004 and running until this year. A cooperative Wong may have a lot to say about how the city’s permit process works. A separate inquiry by City Attorney Dennis Herrera described the close ties Wong enjoyed with a top buildinginspection official who he wined and dined.

If more players in the corruption plot step forward, San Francisco will get a sharp look at how business gets done and who benefits. It’s not a pleasing picture so far.