A former Hawaii County housing official was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his role in a public corruption scheme involving affordable housing agreements worth more than $11 million, according to the DOJ.
Alan Scott Rudo, a former Housing Specialist at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development, admitted that he accepted bribes in exchange for using his official position to help secure county approval of three affordable housing agreements.
The agreements benefited development companies tied to Paul Sulla, Gary Zamber, and Rajesh Budhabhatti: Luna Loa Developments LLC, West View Developments LLC, and Plumeria at Waikoloa LLC.
The DOJ said the companies promised to build affordable housing for Hawaii County residents but never built a single unit. Instead, the defendants obtained more than $11 million worth of land and excess affordable housing credits.
From that amount, Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1.93 million in bribes and kickbacks.
Rudo pleaded guilty and testified at trial. His co-conspirators were convicted by a federal jury in June 2025. Zamber was sentenced to 70 months, Budhabhatti to 90 months, and Sulla to 60 months in prison.
This case shows how affordable housing programs can be converted into private enrichment when public officials, developers, and professionals coordinate around government-controlled benefits.
Anyone with inside knowledge of similar housing-credit, land-transfer, or public-benefit abuse should report the conduct to Find Corporate Waste to see if your case qualifies as a False Claims Act referral pathway.
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