Former Hawaii County housing official Alan Scott Rudo has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar bribery conspiracy. Rudo, 59, now of Cathedral City, California, received bribes in exchange for using his official position at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) to approve three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) worth over $11 million.
The scheme involved attorneys Paul Joseph Sulla, 79, and Gary Charles Zamber, 56, both of Hawaii, and businessman Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, 65, of California. They conspired to pay Rudo bribes and kickbacks to secure approval for AHAs benefiting their development companies: Luna Loa Developments LLC, West View Developments LLC, and Plumeria at Waikoloa LLC. Despite promises to build affordable housing, their companies never constructed a single unit.
Through these fraudulent agreements, the defendants obtained more than $11 million in land and excess affordable housing credits. From this amount, Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes. Rudo pleaded guilty and testified against his co-conspirators, who were convicted on all counts by a federal jury on June 4, 2025.
Earlier this year, Rudo's co-conspirators also received prison sentences: Zamber for 70 months on January 30, Budhabhatti for 90 months on February 6, and Sulla for 60 months on April 23. Both Zamber and Sulla currently have suspended law licenses, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawaii. The FBI investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.