RNC contributor CH2M Hill involved in major bribery scandal

The company contributed $50,000 to the RNC, according to the Minnesota Independent, which asked companies to voluntarily disclose how much they donated.

CH2M was a major player in a scandal that brought down the East Cleveland mayor as well as the close friend of former Cleveland mayor Mike White. Here's a quick summary courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The troubled East Cleveland Water Department figured prominently in the bribery cases of former East Cleveland Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor and businessman Nate Gray, both of whom are in prison.

A 2005 federal indictment accused Gray of bribing Onunwor in connection with a no-bid, $3.9 million contract with Denver-based CH2M Hill, which managed the water and sewer systems in East Cleveland.

According to federal prosecutors, CH2M Hill provided as much as $10,000 a month in consulting fees to Cleveland engineer Ralph Tyler, who carried the money to Gray, who used it for bribes. Attorneys for CH2M Hill and Tyler said at the time that their clients did not know the money was used for bribes.

Unfortunately, the article isn't available online anymore and I took this text from Nexis. However, you can find a lengthier treatment of the story in our sister paper here. This article also notes that the feds were looking at Gray's dealings with CH2M in Houston:

The Houston Press reports that Gray's Etna Parking owns part of the contract to shuttle car-rental customers at Bush Intercontinental Airport. CH2M Hill has also been reaping million-dollar contracts for developing a "strategic plan" for the city's water system and for a major project for the Port of Houston Authority. So it should come as no surprise that the feds are snooping around Texas.

CH2M apparently likes to spread the money around. It also contributed $8,000 to Washington Democrats.