General Motors is cooperating with authorities in the investigation of a former GM manager accused of taking $3.45 million in bribes from a South Korean parts supplier.
Hyoung Nam So, 46, was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles, which was first reported by the LA Times. He also goes by the name “Brian So,” according to a federal grand jury indictment issued Wednesday.
The indictment said that starting in August 2015, So accepted $3.45 million in cash from the parts supplier in late 2015 in exchange for fixing bids on a contract to supply GM with auto painting, window film and molding.
The first $1 million was allegedly given to So at a “hotel in Troy,” according to the indictment.
So, who now lives in Irvine, California, and worked at GM from 2013 through 2015 as a manager in the automaker’s global purchasing and supply chain uin Detroit. He led the supply of parts used to build vehicle interiors.
According to his online resume, So joined Karma Automotive, a luxury electric vehicle company, in January 2020, and served as head of global purchasing. A Karma Automotive spokeswoman said So left the company in December 2021.
So’s attorney, H. Dean Steward, declined to comment.
GM said it is cooperating with authorities.
“General Motors does not tolerate or condone corruption or bribery of any kind,” a statement from the company to the Detroit Free Press read. “The illegal conduct alleged here is entirely inconsistent with our code of conduct and corporate policies.”
GM confirmed So is no longer a GM employee.
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“We have cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California throughout the process, which has confirmed that GM is neither a target nor subject of the investigation,” the statement said.
The indictment charged So with one count of conspiracy to commit federal funds bribery. It does not name the supplier.
According to the LA Times, prosecutors described the amount of the alleged kickback as “unusually high for a purchasing agent at one of America’s biggest corporations.”
The supplier was prosecuted in South Korea, the LA Times wrote, attributing it to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
According to the LA Times: “Kookje Shinmun, a newspaper in Busan, South Korea, reported that an unnamed auto parts supplier was arrested and indicted in 2017 on charges of paying a $3.45-million ‘rebate’ on a $35-million sale of car equipment to GM.” The outcome of the case was unclear.
Staff reporter Khalil AlHajal contributed to this report.
Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.