Transit project manager charged in bribery, extortion, mail fraud

CLEVELAND (AP) — A project manager with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority was charged Wednesday with bribery, extortion and other offenses in dealings with contractors as part of a federal corruption probe, officials said Wednesday.

Faisal Alatrash, 48, is charged with bribery, extortion, mail fraud and other offenses, and his wife, 39-year-old Gada Alatrash, is charged with lying to the FBI.

Both were arrested Wednesday at their home in suburban Westlake and later pleaded innocent before a federal magistrate. They were released on bond.

Federal officials would not say how much money or what contractors were involved in deals alleged to have been made from 2002 to 2008.

Dave Sierleja, first assistant U.S. attorney for northern Ohio, said information that led to the probe of the transit official “was generated in the course of working on another public corruption investigation.” Sierleja wouldn’t be more specific.

There are two public corruption teams now operating within the Cleveland FBI, Agent-in-Charge Frank Figliuzzi said.

Since last summer, the Justice Department and the FBI have been involved in a probe of Cuyahoga County government.

Although offices of some county officials have been raided, no one has been arrested or charged.

In May, two Cleveland housing inspectors were charged with extortion after taking cash from an undercover FBI agent.

The indictment in the transit cases alleges that some project costs were inflated, and kickbacks were arranged, with some money aimed at a cleaning business registered to Gada Alatrash.

It says certain unidentified contractors did painting jobs at his home.

Faisal Alatrash has been suspended without pay as of Wednesday. His annual salary is $66,107, and he has been employed by the transit system since 1990.

The Greater Cleveland RTA is doing its own audit “to determine whether or not there was any overpayment for services or work that was not performed to specification,” said Joe Calabrese, the transit system’s chief executive officer and general manager.