OAKLAND — After the city’s Public Ethics Commission published a report detailing allegations that a former building inspector took thousands in bribes, more accusers have come out of the woodwork and investigators are looking into bribery allegations against another building inspector.

The report, which was made public Oct. 26, alleges former building inspector Thomas Espinosa took $2,700 in bribes from people whose buildings he was inspecting between 2014 and 2016 and failed to disclose to the city that he received more than $300,000 for contracting work and other work from people whose properties he was inspecting during those years. He faces a potential $1.15 million fine for 47 public ethics violations.

At a Public Ethics Commission meeting Monday, the commission’s deputy director Milad Dalju presented the report and announced that more allegations have been made in the past week. Dalju also confirmed that criminal investigations by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies are underway; the commission’s investigators have turned their findings over to those agencies.

The investigation focused on Espinosa’s actions from 2014 to 2016, since the city established its Government Ethics Act in 2014 and the commission is tasked with looking into violations of that act. Espinosa worked for the city from 2005 to 2016.

“Because he’s been working with the city much longer than that, there are probably allegations out there prior to December 2014, but unfortunately we don’t have jurisdiction over those,” Dalju said.

The commission’s investigators can still receive information about possible bribery before 2014 and pass it on to criminal investigators, he said.

Dalju also confirmed that investigators started a “proactive investigation” into possible bribery by another building inspector. That information came to light during the Espinosa investigation, he said.

The investigation focused on Espinosa’s interactions with landlords, a real estate agent and property owners. Espinosa solicited a total of $1,200 from one landlord in return for passing inspections at four of their properties that had previously failed, according to the report.

On another occasion, Espinosa told a real estate agent to give him a $1,500 personal check outside of City Hall in return for resolving outstanding permit issues on a property, the report said.

Espinosa also issued a fictitious “stop-work” order on a property owner and tried to use it to coerce the owner into giving him more money, the report said.

Building inspectors are required to file financial disclosure forms every year so that conflicts of interest don’t arise, but Espinosa never filed those forms for 2015 and 2016. During that time he was paid more than $300,000 for working for people whose properties he was inspecting.

Related Articles Oakland building inspector took thousands of dollars in bribes Dalju said city staff — per protocol — have tried to enter a settlement agreement with Espinosa, but such an agreement hasn’t been reached.

The commission voted unanimously Monday night to hold an administrative hearing on the case. The hearing is like a trial, Dalju said, and will determine whether Espinosa may be fined the full $1.15 million for the 47 government ethics act violations. The commission would then vote to impose the fine. The fine could be higher if the new allegations are found to be true.