Democrat Councilmember Trayon White Sr. of Washington, D.C., was arrested on suspicions of being bribed with $156,000 in exchange for contracts.
Dem politician caught being bribed by feds
White, representing D.C.’s Ward 8 since 2017 and having won the Democratic primary in June, allegedly used his office to coerce government staff into extending contracts for cash, as disclosed by the Department of Justice on Monday.
Accusations state that White leveraged his position to pressure employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, securing contract extensions worth $5.2 million.
The criminal complaint charges White of being bribed with money and other valuable items in return.
Since June, White reportedly received four payments summing up to $156,000 from the owner of two anonymous companies.
The complaint mentions an arrangement between White and the contractor was captured in video footage.
White allegedly took $35,000 during a met up while the company secretly operated under FBI supervision.
Video footage in the affidavit shows White asking the contractor, “What do you need me to do, man?” before hesitating, “I don’t want to feel like you’ve got to give me something to get something.”
“We’re better than that,” he said while accepting the envelope full of cash from the contractor.
According to the affidavit, the contractor said they would kickback White a 3% share of the extended government contracts.
Earlier this year, White’s campaign committees faced a $40,000 fine from the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance for allegedly not providing necessary documents to resolve expenditure and contribution discrepancies.
Bribed politician made national headlines for anti-Semetic remarks
White received national attention in 2018 after allegedly promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish banking family, in a social media video.
In the footage, White remarked, “Man, it just started snowing out of nowhere this morning, man. Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation.”
“And D.C. keeps talking about, ‘We’re a resilient city.’ And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities. Be careful,” he cautioned.
A spokesperson for the D.C. city council said, they were unaware of the investigation prior to White’s arrest.
White was apprehended around 2 p.m. on Sunday and released the next day after his court appearance. His subsequent court date is scheduled for September 19.
Matthew Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, emphasized the quick actions taken due to the impending award of contracts and potential official actions, stating, “Our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating.”
Disgraced politician pleads guilty
George Santos, 36, the ex-New York congressman whose political career fell apart after his alleged financial schemes were exposed, admitted guilt Monday to wire fraud and identity theft.
Facing charges of stealing from political donors, misusing campaign funds for personal expenses, lying about his finances in Congress, and falsely collecting unemployment benefits, Santos was indicted on a slew of felony counts.
Following an ethics probe that found “overwhelming evidence” of legal violations and profiteering from his public role, Santos was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives last year.
Santos is looking at a prison time and will have to pay back hundreds of thousands in restitution to his victims.
His federal fraud case, which had led to his congressional expulsion, was close to trial in September, where prosecutors were expected to call on at least 40 witnesses.
“I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” Santos said with a shaky voice, as he entered his plea in a Long Island court on Monday.
He admitted responsibility for his actions and expressed a desire to make amends. He faces over six years in prison and must repay at least $370,000 in restitution.
Senior Federal Judge Joanna Seybert set the sentencing date for February 7.
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