Back From China, Ed Jew Talks To I-Team

Jun. 5 - KGO (KGO) -- The San Francisco supervisor at the center of an FBI investigation returned to work today after a two-week vacation in China. He and his lawyers are trying their best to dig him out from under the scandal. The I-Team's Dan Noyes was able to interview Supervisor Ed Jew this afternoon.

Ed Jew is actually facing two investigations. The FBI is checking out $40,000 in cash he received from a San Francisco business and the city attorney is looking into whether Jew lived in the city when he ran for supervisor as required by law.

Ed Jew, S.F. supervisor: "I'm just happy to be back."

Supervisor Jew spoke to the I-team this afternoon as he arrived at City Hall for the first time since his long vacation.

Ed Jew: "Just want to make that statement that I'm not going to resign. I'm here for the long haul. I'm here to represent my district and this is the business that I'm in, politics."

While he was gone, new details of the investigations have surfaced. The most serious is the FBI is checking out $40,000 dollars in cash Jew accepted from the owners of Quickly Tapioca stores.

Jew says they gave him the money to forward to a consultant, who helped the businessmen with the permit process.

ABC7's Dan Noyes: "Why accept $40,000 dollars in cash in the first place, Ed, you know that's not the way it's supposed to work?"

Ed Jew: "I cannot comment on that, the bottom line is, it is, my attorneys will be talking about that."

Steve Gruell, attorney for Jew : "There's nothing inherently wrong with cash, but I think it's a good learning experience for the supervisor."

Jew's attorney says the supervisor gave the consultant $20,000 dollars and kept the other $20,000 dollars for a park project.

In fact, just yesterday, Jew's lawyers filed papers with the ethics commission, showing Jew gave $10,000 dollars to the Friends of Sunset Park this past Friday. Jew says he'll give the other $10,000 dollars once the FBI returns the money they confiscated in the raid of his Chinatown flower shop two and a half weeks ago.

Steve Gruell, attorney for Jew : "He had 30 days to do this, and he did it in accordance with law. He followed the procedures."

ABC7's Dan Noyes: "So you're saying his plan all along was to donate $20,000 dollars to Friends of Sunset Playground?"

Steve Gruell, attorney for Jew: "Without question, yes."

This weekend, Jew tried to head off the other investigation he faces from the city attorney's office on whether he was a resident of San Francisco, as required by law, when he filed papers for his run for supervisor last summer.

Jew invited the Chinese media to his Sunset District home on Sunday. The reporters didn't ask the important question -- the one at the heart of a potential perjury case.

Ed Jew: "I do reside there, yes."

ABC7's Dan Noyes: "You do now, but did you at that point in time?"

Ed Jew: "I do reside there."

ABC7's Dan Noyes: "Now, but did you before, when you signed up to be a candidate?"

Ed Jew: "Again, I want to just basically say that I, we have a number of attorneys that are representing me and so forth like that."

Dean Johnson, ABC7 legal analyst: "Well, it does seem like Mr. Jew's life is unraveling on a lot of fronts."

Former prosecutor and ABC7 legal analyst Dean Johnson says a violation of campaign laws and possible perjury charge could bring Jew thousands of dollars in fines and prison time. But the federal case involving the $40,000 dollars is even more serious.

Dean Johnson, ABC7 legal analyst: "If he were charged in federal court, Jew would potentially be looking at a real sentence of about one to two years, maybe a little bit more."

There were more problems for Ed Jew late today. Friends of Sunset Playground told the I-Team they made it clear to Jew's lawyer that they don't want the money, they will not cash Jew's cashier's check, and they regret being pulled into the scandal.

Dawn Stueckle, Friends of Sunset Playground: "It makes me feel used and it makes me feel sad, because I feel like what we've done in the community, we've worked really hard to have a good name."

I-Team Blog
Dan Noyes has posted a blog on today's action, along with copies of several important documents in this case. Click here to read.

ABC7 Extra
Watch Dan Noyes' entire unedited interview with S.F. Supervisor Ed Jew below:

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