Attorneys Gary Charles Zamber and Paul Joseph Sulla, Businessman Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti Sentenced In Hawaiʻi County Bribery Scheme

A federal bribery case tied to Hawaiʻi County affordable housing ended with three men sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to pay bribes to a county housing official in exchange for official actions on affordable housing development agreements worth more than $11 million.

“Businessman, 2 attorneys sentenced in multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe Hawai‘i County public official Three men have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to pay bribes to a public official at the Hawai‘i County Office of Housing and Community Development in exchange for his official actions in connection with affordable housing development agreements worth more than $11,000,000”

Big Island Now

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hawaiʻi said the conspiracy involved Housing Specialist Alan Scott Rudo, a Housing Specialist at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), and the defendants were attorney Gary Charles Zamber, businessman Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, and former attorney Paul Joseph Sulla.

Big Island Now

The scheme centered on three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) that benefitted the defendants’ development companies, Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC.

Court documents and evidence presented at trial described how Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Rudo in exchange for Rudo’s agreement to use his official position to ensure Hawai‘i County approved the three agreements.

The sources say the defendants promised to build affordable housing, but their development companies “never built a single unit.”

Through the AHAs, the defendants “fraudulently obtained more than $11,000,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs),” and from that amount they paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.

The sentencing chronology in the sources shows Zamber sentenced on January 30th to 70 months, Budhabhatti sentenced on February 6th to 90 months, and Sulla sentenced on April 23rd to 60 months, after a jury convicted them on June 4, 2025.

The sentencing outcomes were preceded by convictions in the District of Hawaiʻi, with the sources describing a June 4, 2025 jury verdict on a superseding indictment.

Big Island Video News said the three defendants were “convicted on all counts by a jury in the District of Hawaiʻi on June 4, 2025,” and it listed the charges as conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, with Sulla also charged with money laundering.

Hawaii News Now

Big Island Now likewise stated that “On June 4, 2025, a jury in the District of Hawai‘i convicted Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti on all counts of a superseding indictment,” and it reiterated the same honest services wire fraud and money laundering structure.

The sources also describe the plea posture of Alan Scott Rudo, saying he “pleaded guilty and testified at trial” and that “He will be sentenced at a later date.”

After the convictions, the sentencing dates and prison terms were reported with specific month totals: Zamber received 70 months, Budhabhatti received 90 months, and Sulla received 60 months.

Hawaii News Now framed Sulla’s sentence as “five years,” stating that “Former Hawaii Island attorney Paul Sulla, 79, is heading to federal prison for five years,” and it also reported that Zamber and Budhabhatti were sentenced earlier in the year.

The sources also reported that the attorneys’ law licenses were suspended, with Big Island Now stating “Zamber’s and Sulla’s law licenses are currently suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawai‘i,” and Hawaii News Now repeating that “The attorneys’ law licenses have been suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawaii.”

Federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials used strongly worded language to describe the bribery scheme, tying the sentences to public trust and the diversion of affordable housing resources.

“HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Former Hawaii Island attorney Paul Sulla, 79, is heading to federal prison for five years”

Hawaii News Now

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said, “This wasn’t just corruption – it was a calculated betrayal of the very community the defendants were supposed to serve,” and he added that “Instead of building homes for struggling families looking for an onramp to a better life, the defendants built a scheme to enrich themselves, paying millions in bribes and kickbacks while pretending to help those in need.”

U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaiʻi said, “Driven by greed, the defendants sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the Hawaiian community, diverting millions in much needed affordable housing resources intended to benefit Hawaii County’s poor and disadvantaged into the defendants’ own pockets,” and he added, “Public corruption undermines faith in our institutions and will not be tolerated.”

Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office described the case as more than bribery and fraud, saying, “This sentencing marks another step toward accountability for those who pollute the integrity of our government institutions with bribes and kickbacks,” and he said, “The defendants’ criminal schemes amounted to more than bribery and fraud — they stole opportunities from Big Island families and our community as a whole.”

Big Island Video News also quoted Duva and Sorenson in full, and it included Porter’s statement that “The FBI, alongside our partners, will never stop working to pursue those who undermine the public’s trust and weaken the foundations of our community through corruption and deceit.”

The sources also described the legal mechanism of the alleged bribery, stating that Sulla, Zamber, and Budhabhatti conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Rudo in exchange for Rudo’s agreement to use his official position to ensure Hawai‘i County approved the three affordable housing agreements.

In addition, the sources reported that Sulla was also charged with money laundering, and that the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud.

The sources identify the defendants by name, age, and location, and they connect those individuals to the development companies that were supposed to build affordable housing.

Big Island Video News described “three men – attorney Gary Charles Zamber, businessman Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, and former attorney Paul Joseph Sulla” as part of the conspiracy, and it identified Rudo as a Housing Specialist at the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD).

Hawaii News Now

Big Island Now added more biographical detail, stating that “Big Island attorney Gary Charles Zamber, 56, of Kea‘au” was sentenced to 70 months, that “Former Big Island businessman, Rajesh Pankaj Budhabhatti, 65, of Morro Bay, Calif.” was sentenced to 90 months, and that “Former Big Island attorney, Paul Joseph Sulla, 79, of Hilo” was sentenced to 60 months.

Hawaii News Now also described Sulla as “Former Hawaii Island attorney Paul Sulla, 79,” and it said he was heading to federal prison for five years.

The sources also describe the role of Rudo, saying he “pleaded guilty and testified at trial” and that he “will be sentenced at a later date.”

In describing the alleged quid pro quo, the sources say the defendants conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Rudo in exchange for Rudo’s agreement to use his official position to ensure Hawai‘i County approved three affordable housing agreements benefitting the defendants’ development companies.

Those development companies were named as Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC, and the sources say the companies “never built a single unit.”

The sources describe immediate and continuing consequences after sentencing, including the status of Rudo’s case and the effect on the attorneys’ ability to practice law.

“(BIVN) – Two Big Island attorneys and a businessman have been sentenced for their roles in a multi-million dollar bribery scheme involving a Hawaiʻi County public official”

Big Island Video News

Big Island Video News and Big Island Now both state that Rudo “pleaded guilty and testified at trial” and that “He will be sentenced at a later date,” leaving the timeline for his punishment open beyond the sentencing of the three defendants.

Big Island Now

Big Island Now also reports that “Zamber’s and Sulla’s law licenses are currently suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawai‘i,” and Hawaii News Now similarly says “The attorneys’ law licenses have been suspended, prohibiting them from practicing law in Hawaii.”

The sources also emphasize that the bribery scheme involved affordable housing development agreements worth more than $11 million and that the defendants’ companies “never built a single unit,” which frames the harm as both financial and institutional.

In the quoted remarks, prosecutors and the FBI describe the case as part of ongoing enforcement against public corruption, with Porter saying, “The FBI, alongside our partners, will never stop working to pursue those who undermine the public’s trust and weaken the foundations of our community through corruption and deceit.”

The sources also highlight the Justice Department’s Criminal Division position that the case represents accountability for abuse of positions of trust, with Duva saying, “The Criminal Division is committed to pursuing those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”

While the sources do not provide additional procedural steps beyond Rudo’s later sentencing, they do specify that the defendants were sentenced after convictions by a jury in the District of Hawaiʻi on June 4, 2025, and they list the specific prison terms and sentencing dates.