When this case was requested by a viewer in January of this year and I looked into the background of the main character, that person proved that even if you didn't graduate from the so-called elite school or from the oligarch class and you can't be called an ilustrado, you can still keep up with or sometimes even surpass others.
The person I'm talking about is Rodolfo Kambao or better known as Rudy.
According to the report, he comes from a poor family, so even at a young age he was aware of the hassle culture or the idea that you have to work hard because no one will give you wealth or inheritance.
So to instill in their children's minds that they should work hard as long as they can think, the Kiambao couple always tell them that they should work hard because they really have nothing to inherit.
They should study because for them, that is the only way they can change their lives.
So after graduating from high school while he was still able to attend college, Rudy really studied hard.
But instead of prestigious institutions like Ateneo or Dalasal, his parents sent him to Mapua, which in the 1960s was known to be attended by students from the middle class, lower middle class, and from the provinces.
Although it is considered a private institution, in the 60s, tuition there was still affordable compared to other universities.
For six years, he studied for a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
And because the curriculum there is highly competitive in terms of advanced mathematics, structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, and surveying.
Rudy didn't have that much trouble getting a license.
But even though his job was good, the 24-year-old engineer preferred other countries, especially when the 1965 US Immigration Act was enacted, which relaxed America's immigration policy to encourage people like him to work and live there permanently.
With the great benefits he could get, people were no longer surprised when Rudy boarded a plane to the US in 1968.
Those were also the times when it was reported that the Philippines first experienced what was called a brain drain because the best of the best and almost all people considered professionals were leaving the country in exchange for higher salaries and the possibility of a better future there.
But he was unable to use his US license.
So when he was hired by Boeing in Seattle, he became just a normal worker.
While working there, he never lost sight of the idea of becoming a licensed engineer in America.
So he combined studying with working.
When the contract ended, he moved to the state of Kunatic.
There he gets a new job again and a few years later he happily announces that not only is he a licensed engineer but he has also found the woman he wants to be with for the rest of his life, Connie.
According to the report, this is also a Filipino and like him, Connie also tried to have a good life in the US.
Even though he was a dentist in the Philippines, he had to study again in America.
After they got married and Connie got her license from Kigcat, the Newly Wed moved to New York.
There, Rudy joined the Treadwell Corporation where for two years his responsibility was to manufacture oxygen equipment for the US Navy.
With the intensity of what he went through just to get his license and adjust to life in America, Rudy has become an inspiration to several Filipinos.
Friends who are married say that not all people who immigrate to the US are able to have successful lives and be part of the elite or famous group of people.
Because it was the 1970s.
But because the couple was able to work together and still have professional jobs, they quickly entered the world of the elite.
Not just Americans but also the world of rich, influential, well-known and prominent Filipinos in New York.
For several years, Rudy did his best to become familiar with his job.
But even though some say he is successful, for Rudy in their office, he is just a normal worker.
So when his fifth year at Chedwell came and he had not yet been promoted, he resigned.
What she did did not affect their status in New York because her husband's dental clinic was profitable.
A year after leaving his corporate job and wondering what to do next, Rudy surprised everyone when he launched Rudell and Associates in 1988, an engineering firm.
When it opened, it only had two employees and was located above her husband's office.
Rudy had a few clients that he acquired through attending social gatherings and sometimes through referrals from his previous clients.
But since we are talking about the late 80s and early 90s, as his firm grew, like other businessmen, Rudy struggled because as his clients increased, they could no longer complete projects on time.
So to resolve the shortage of people, he founded the non-profit organization Filipino American Association of Engineers or popularly known as FAAE.
Their goal, as you can see on the screen, is to help engineers from the Philippines guide them on what and how to quickly obtain a license when they arrive in America.
Filipinos who want to achieve the American dream come to the US using H1B visas and usually find jobs immediately, if not at his firm, then elsewhere in the treaty area such as New Jersey and Connecticut.
His establishment of FAAE was a good business model and an easy decision because firstly, he would save a lot of money.
Instead of paying expensive wages to engineers already in the US , if he sponsors them using an H1B visa, their wages will be cheaper.
So he can use the money left over for other things to grow his business.
With the constant recruitment of highly skilled engineers from the Philippines, Rudy was able to grow his business.
His employees have grown from two to over 100 people .
Rudy is also proud because the engineers he hires to work at his firm are extremely disciplined and truly determined.
Whenever he would bid to win a project, he would always boast that they could do anything.
It can be a structural, mechanical or electrical utility test at an affordable cost.
When I took a look at his firm, I realized that they weren't focused on building buildings or infrastructure.
But his company's specialty is in utility infrastructure, substation layout design and power distribution systems.
In other words, their niche is in high voltage energy systems.
Due to their excellent performance and affordable fees, Rudy's firm is always the preferred subcontractor in the Tristate area.
Their solid reputation is the reason why 2001 was the first time Rudy had a high- profile client.
They are proud of their company as the reason why the facilities of The New York Post Publication Office and John F.
Kennedy International Airport are in good condition.
The combination of being a good businessman and a caring person is the reason why the Kimbao couple are truly respected and looked up to by Filipinos in the Filipino community there.
But Rudy's reputation will rise even higher.
September 11, 2001 was a day that Americans will never forget because that was the date when they were attacked by terrorists.
When the Twin Towers collapsed, the large Seven World Trade Center Tower next to them also collapsed.
Underneath the Seven World Trade Center is a power substation that supplies electricity to all of lower Manhattan.
When Rudy's firm was taken over, the talented Filipino engineers immediately took action.
They have an emergency mission to restore electricity as soon as possible .
If you've watched various documentaries about 911, you may be familiar with the overwhelming amount of infrastructure that was destroyed and the seemingly impossible mission they took on.
But as I mentioned earlier, the Filipino engineers that Rudy hired in the Philippines were the best of the best.
In the interview, he shared that when they received the project, he told his staff that what they would do would either make or break them.
The engineer from Sta Ana, Pampanga said that although he was nervous because the project they were going to do was big, he was convinced that they would be able to do it because he knew the caliber of his engineers.
When they looked into the underground docks, they thought of bypassing the underground vaults and using only emergency electrical cables and then using 82 large onside industrial generators that would temporarily provide electricity to important establishments there.
And with the combined efforts of utility crews and engineering teams working day and night for just six days, the lights were restored to the financial district.
Rudy's contribution even reached the Philippines.
Several reporters have written articles like this to share with Filipinos the good deeds done by Rudy's firm.
And to further grow his influence, Rudy took the lead in spreading funds to hold workshops and seminars because he also wanted to help Filipinos in the US who wanted to become engineers.
The couple, who had no plans to have children, agreed to establish the RCP Foundation.
They always organize an annual fundraising gala held in Queens, New York to provide scholarships or support for engineering students in the Philippines.
Aside from his firm, Rudy has also added real estate to his portfolio.
He founded Rudicon Corporation and Peach Enterprise LLC, a real estate investment firm.
With their many businesses and extensive connections within and outside the Filipino community, the couple is truly considered a power couple that everyone should emulate.
Some have even said that their story could be called rags to riches.
So everyone was surprised when 71-year-old Rudy was arrested by the FBI in 2015 right inside his office.
In this news article produced by GMA, those who knew Rudy shared how shocked they were by what happened.
Some have said that the authorities may just be mistaken .
But according to court documents released by the District Attorney in New York, they have a lot of evidence to prove that Rudy is a crook and a fraud.
The court record states that even though Rudy's life was going well, he was still not satisfied and found a way to make money .
This is Sassin Razuk, who works as a section manager at Coned, a large power company that supplies electricity, gas, and steam to residents of New York City.
The two met after 9/11.
From their professional relationship because Rudy was a subcontractor, the two became close to each other to the point that they would often meet to play golf.
So they became close, as if they were best friends.
That closeness is the reason why Rezuk comfortably offered Rudy that with his high position in Coned, he could easily award projects to Rudy's company in exchange for money.
During their discussion, Rudy would pay at least 20% of the project cost if he was awarded the contract.
And to make it less complicated, just think about what the corrupt in the Philippines did regarding flood control projects.
I also learned that before Rudy ended up in the US, he first served as an engineer at the DPW, which is now in the hot seat due to severe corruption in that agency.
Even though there were other firms bidding because the power was bent on who would win the bidding.
Because he and Rudy had an agreement, he automatically awarded the firm numerous contracts.
When the project is being done , what Rudy does is doctor the cost of materials until the project cost doubles and triples .
His change in the receipts is not a problem because it will go through Razuk's office, who will approve it with a blind eye.
Because the cost of the project has increased, the kickback he will receive will also increase.
While they are getting richer and their pockets are getting fatter , the residents who are Coned customers are unaware that the two's fraud is the reason why their bills are ballooning and growing.
Because the costs incurred by the Power Company in upgrading their systems are passed on to them.
In paper trails seen by the FBI, the largest cash payout Rezuk received from Rudy was between 2008 and 2011.
Where Rudy's firm underpaid Coned for a single contract of 18 million US.
I won't convert that to peso, but it has so many zeros.
He received four million dollars or 22% of the payout, which he used to live a lavish lifestyle.
But if he is boasting about the amount of money he received, Rudy is in trouble because he has to show the IRS or the equivalent of the BIR in the Philippines where he put the money he paid to Rudy.
For some who would say that it should not have just put that money on paper, the system is different in the US.
Even if you hide the money you receive unless it's under the table, they will see it clearly because of your social security number.
So Rudy was instructed by his accountant to turn the millions he was giving to Rezuk into business expenses such as office supplies and consulting fees .
That strategy is also his way of showing in the documents that the million he paid was not his income.
If his income is small, his taxes will also be small, clearly indicating that he really wants to cheat the IRS.
Within a decade, his plan worked.
So according to the authorities, Rudy became confident and arrogant that he was untouchable.
He continued to hide his crime by helping other people, but his illegal activities were exposed when the funds provided by the government to CONED were audited.
When it was proven that there was indeed an anomaly in the data, IRS Criminal Investigation along with the FBI, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey OYG quickly investigated.
In 2007, they promptly arrested two low- ranking employees at Coned who had received kickbacks.
From there, there was a domino effect.
To save themselves and have a lesser punishment.
They immediately sang and said that they were not the only ones doing it but many other people.
When the investigation began, all Coned contracts were suspended.
So the engineers that Rudy recruited using H1B visas were placed on unpaid leave or absence or low pay until they were completely fired from their jobs.
They have n't slept for months because they don't know what their future holds.
So those stupid engineers who knew the law sued Rudy because the law states that even if they lose their jobs, the company that sponsored their visa must still continue to pay them.
While the case was being handled by the Department of Labor, in 2009, the FBI arrested several people and proved that if a firm wanted to be awarded the contract, they had to pay one million in cash.
Following him, they arrested the CEO of a construction company.
And in 2011, as the documents they had in hand increased, they found a paper trail that pointed to Razuk.
So it was revealed that it was also being paid for by another firm.
So to get a lesser sentence, he also cooperated with the authorities.
When he was allowed to leave temporarily, he met with Rudy.
During their conversation, he convinced the engineer that if he were to be interviewed, he should tell them that the money he sent using the was only for consulting fees.
But unbeknownst to him, Rudy was already talking to the authorities.
And in an attempt to save his remaining honor and reputation, Rudy recorded their conversation and later gave it to the FBI.
71-year-old Rudy was charged with 2 counts of federal programs bribery and two counts of tax evasions.
With the amount of evidence against him, he had no choice but to plead guilty in 2016.
But even though the crime he committed was serious, the judge considered that he collaborated to get Rezuk imprisoned.
Rudy was also old at the time, 73 years old.
So instead of a sentence of several decades, he was only imprisoned for four years.
The IRS ordered it to pay 4.
5 million US, one million in cash to the government and an additional 125,000.
When combined, he will pay more than he saved.
Due to the high demand, his engineering firm in New York collapsed and was permanently closed.
Due to the scandal, he was also removed from his position at FAAE so that he would not include the organization in his downfall.
According to the report, he was able to pay the judge's demands by liquidating his engineering firm, selling several of his homes in New York, and selling other properties to his real estate firm.
When he was granted compassionate release in 2020, Rudy was reunited with his wife.
As of this recording, the 82-year- old is still alive.
In fact, the couple is still active in their non-profit organization, RCP Foundation.
During the month of the marathon, just this year, they even held an inaugural philanthropic initiative to provide scholarships to students who want to become engineers.
If you listened until the end of this video, thank you very much for watching this episode.
Please consider leaving a comment or liking this video and if you have a case you would like me to cover, please let me know.
Good day, Sao, fellow countryman.
Allah