D.C. Council member Trayon White has been indicted on a federal bribery charge, court documents show.
White, who represents Ward 8, is accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in exchange for using his position to pressure employees of the D.C. Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several contracts, prosecutors said.
He’s chair of a D.C. Council committee that oversees several agencies, including DYRS.
White received $35,000 in four cash payments in the alleged scheme, court documents filed on Thursday say.
His lawyer declined on Friday to comment on the latest development.
White has not commented on the case or entered a plea since federal authorities arrested him in the Navy Yard area on Aug. 18. On Instagram, posted a brief video thanking people who have continued to support him.
Following White’s arrest, the D.C. government launched a wide-ranging review of violence interruption work.
Read the full indictment here:
Here’s what federal prosecutors say Trayon White did
Federal prosecutors say White agreed starting in June to accept $156,000 in bribes in exchange for using his position to pressure government employees to extend violence intervention contracts worth $5.2 million.
He’s accused of accepting envelopes full of cash as he was caught on a hidden camera. Here’s how the FBI broke down the payments:
- June 26: $15,000 cash received
- July 17: $5,000 cash received
- July 25: $10,000 cash received
- Aug. 9: $5,000 cash received
Images included in court documents show what prosecutors say is White receiving envelopes stuffed with cash.
An FBI informant who operated businesses that contracted with the D.C. government agreed to cooperate with authorities as part of an agreement to plead guilty to bribery and bank fraud charges. Several conversations between White and the informant were recorded in a parked car wired for video and audio, including outside White’s home, prosecutors say.
At one meeting, White and the informant discussed contracts the informant had with ONSE. The informant asked White if the contracts would be renewed and said he had $15,000 cash.
Initially, White asked, “What you need me to do, man? I don’t, I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something. We better than that.”
Then he tucked the envelope with the cash into his jacket pocket, prosecutors say.
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