A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency worker faked his job title for years to get thousands of dollars in gifts from vendors that do business with the city, including sports tickets, Uber rides and luxury events, the San Francisco Ethics Commission has alleged.
Charlie Chiem, an SFMTA information technology administrator, falsely presented himself as an IT manager — a position he never held — to get close to vendors wanting to do business with the city in exchange for free tickets, sports merchandise and other lavish gifts, the commission’s executive director alleged in a probable cause determination he filed Tuesday, based on an investigation. Chiem also allegedly accepted thousands of dollars worth of merchandise after attending more than 500 webinars unrelated to his job position, according to the filing.When the ethics commission asked Chiem about the allegations, Chiem “knowingly and intentionally misrepresented” himself to investigators, saying that he never called himself an IT manager despite evidence to the contrary, the commission claimed in its filing, which was signed by executive director Patrick Ford.
Chiem is accused of violating 20 city rules, including accepting gifts from restricted sources and improper use of city equipment. Chiem did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment. The allegations were first reported by the San Francisco Standard…