Notorious San Francisco Scofflaw Makes Good, Sort Of

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - After a decade-long battle, San Francisco has unexpectedly received almost a half-million dollars from a permit expeditor described as one of the city's most notorious building code scofflaws.

Still, it's only about half the money Jimmy Jen actually owes the city in court judgments.

KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:

Since 2000, San Francisco has been citing and suing permit expeditor Jimmy Jen for illegal construction at various buildings. Jen has been found guilty of violating health and safety codes and unlawful business practices, resulting in about a million dollars in judgments.

He's declared bankruptcy and even counter-sued the city to avoid payment, but on Monday, without warning, City Attorney Dennis Herrera received a $486,000 check in the mail. "This nearly half a million dollars represents a significant down-payment on the money we've been owed by Mr. Jen for the better part of a decade," said Herrera.

He said efforts will continue to make Jen pay the rest of his judgments.

"It's certainly true that this was a pleasant surprise coming in a tough budget year, so we're going to make sure that the money gets put to a good use," said Herrera.

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