Former San Jose inspector convicted of extorting bribes, sex from massage parlor owners
For release on March 22, 2022
CONTACT:
Jeffrey F. Rosen
District Attorney
(408) 792-2997
Former San Jose inspector convicted of extorting bribes, sex from massage parlor owners
A former San Jose city employee was convicted this week of soliciting bribes and extorting sex from massage parlor owners.
William Gerry, 47, who worked for city code enforcement from 2007 to 2019 and moved to McKinney, Texas, was accused of demanding for money to grant city permits or to ignore code violations.
Evidence showed he received more than $140,000 dollars in just a few months. In lieu of payment, he coerced some of his victims to perform sex acts with him.
Gerry was also convicted of molesting two people when they were children, one who came forward from New Zealand. He will be sentenced on May 20th and faces a 35-year sentence.
“Whether children or vulnerable adult victims - this was an unconscionable abuse of power,” DA Jeff Rosen said. “The victims are some of the most vulnerable people in our community. They often come from backgrounds where they don't trust law enforcement and don't know where to turn to. It took great courage for them to come forward.”
Gerry was charged in November 2020 with felony counts of extortion, including trading his favors for non-consensual sex from the businesses’ masseuses. In return, he also protected them from police raids by conveying confidential information he received from law enforcement as part of his job.
After the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed charges related to the extortion and sexual assault of massage parlor owners, further investigation revealed sex abuse crimes going back decades. Two victims came forward who were sexually assaulted by Gerry when they were children. One of the victims who came forward was assaulted by Gerry when he was a youth group leader at their church. Another victim was a relative who was molested by Gerry.
District Attorney Rosen praised the San Jose Police Department, and particularly Detective Benjamin Lam, for an excellent investigation.
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