Former Cupertino Cement Quarry Manager Convicted Of Bribery

CUPERTINO, CA — A former manager of the Permanente Cement Plant and Quarry in Cupertino was sentenced to a year in jail for a bribery scheme that involved over $100,000 in kickbacks, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.

According to a news release, 40-year-old Juan Pedro Yanez took over $50,000 in bribes between 2015 and 2016 from a “preferred contractor,” to whom he would award work in exchange for money.

The contractor, identified by prosecutors as Robert Segura Jr., received over $6 million in work from the Permanente Plant during those years, according to the district attorney. Segura, 53, along with his two businesses, faces charges of conspiracy to defraud, bribery, grand theft, money laundering and perjury.

Yanez pleaded no contest to a 35-count indictment handed down by a grand jury in December of 2019. He was convicted last year of conspiracy to defraud and 11 counts of commercial bribery.

“Bribery undermines hard work, honesty, and integrity,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news release. “It undermines the American concept of fairness. Let the best person win.”

The cement plant, which has been operational since 1958, produces much of the cement that is used in the Bay Area. The quarry sits in west Cupertino and also runs along an incorporated area of Santa Clara County.

According to prosecutors, Yanez used an illicit workaround to avoid the bidding process for awarding work contracts. Investigators also found that Yanez’s bank accounts contained bribery checks, and confidential information regarding bids was forwarded from Yanez's personal email to Segura.

The contractor also paid for a trip to Italy for Yanez and their spouses, and then prosecutors allege that Yanez submitted the vacation as a work-related expense.