Posted for: MugsMalone
San Francisco prosecutors have filed numerous criminal charges against a former leader of the city’s Human Rights Commission and the head of a nonprofit organization after an investigation into alleged corruption involving public funds.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Monday that Sheryl Davis, 57, who previously served as executive director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, faces 17 felony counts. The charges include allegations of conflict of interest in government contracts, misuse of public money, and perjury. She also faces two misdemeanor charges related to accepting gifts from restricted sources and participating in government decisions where she allegedly had a financial interest.
James Spingola, 65, the former executive director of the nonprofit Collective Impact, has also been charged. Prosecutors accuse him of helping Davis carry out conflicts of interest tied to four city contracts awarded to the nonprofit. He faces four felony counts connected to those allegations.
According to the district attorney’s office, the accusations stem from Davis’s role overseeing large amounts of city funding distributed through the Dream Keeper Initiative. The program was created by former San Francisco Mayor London Breed after the death of George Floyd and was designed to direct tens of millions of dollars toward programs serving African-American residents and other underserved communities in the city.
Investigators claim Davis directed more than $4.5 million from the initiative to Collective Impact, an organization she had led before taking her position at the Human Rights Commission. Court documents say that even after moving into her city role, Davis continued to maintain close financial ties to the nonprofit. Prosecutors allege she remained authorized on its bank account, helped raise money for the group, and continued to influence how its funds were used.
The affidavit also states that Davis and Spingola had significant financial connections, including sharing bank accounts, a vehicle, and traveling together. Prosecutors argue that these ties created a direct financial interest for Davis in contracts the city awarded to Collective Impact.
The district attorney’s office said the arrangement allowed Davis to direct city funds to the nonprofit while also influencing how those funds were spent, including for purposes connected to her own interests.
Prosecutors also allege that Davis approved contracts totaling more than $3.5 million for the Homeless Children’s Network, an organization that paid nearly $140,000 to Davis’s son.
In addition, investigators claim Davis approved contracts that sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in city funds to a public relations firm that handled work for both Collective Impact and Davis personally. Authorities also allege she improperly used discretionary funds from her department, failed to disclose certain gifts, accepted gifts that were prohibited under ethics rules, and arranged for the San Francisco Public Library to purchase copies of her book, from which she received financial benefit.
Davis and Spingola both turned themselves in to authorities Monday morning and were booked into the San Francisco County Jail. Prosecutors indicated that both were expected to post bail.
Davis’s attorney, Tony Brass, said in a statement that she had disclosed potential conflicts of interest to the City Attorney’s Office and that the city specifically recruited her from Collective Impact because of her experience working with San Francisco’s Black community.
Brass also said Davis sought additional oversight after joining the city government. According to the statement, she requested financial supervision and internal audits but did not receive a response. Her attorney said Davis later asked the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to provide funding for staff to improve oversight and transparency.
CBS News Bay Area reported that it had contacted Spingola’s attorney for comment but had not yet received a response.
The charges follow an 18-month investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, during which investigators executed more than 50 search warrants.