CNN
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Washington, DC, Councilman Trayon White allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme to use his elected position to keep government contracts flowing to two companies, federal prosecutors say, accepting envelopes with thousands of dollars in cash and lucrative kickbacks.
White, who represents southeast DC, was arrested by the FBI Sunday and is set to appear in DC’s federal courthouse Monday afternoon.
As part of the alleged bribery scheme, White would get kickbacks from multimillion-dollar city contracts related to violence intervention services in DC. All told, White agreed to take $156,000 in cash for his work – or 3% percent of the contracts’ value, prosecutors allege.
The scheme played out in recorded conversations, prosecutors said in court documents. White made the alleged agreements with a local businessman who had contracts with the DC government. That man, unbeknownst to White, had pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges and was working with law enforcement.
White repeatedly indicated to the informant that he needed money, according to recordings cited in court documents, saying that he was “hurting.” The recordings described in court filings also show that the informant offered White thousands of dollars in cash to push city officials toward specific contracts that would benefit his businesses, and to brainstorm additional contracts that they could try to acquire in the future.
In one conversation, White was recorded asking the informant what they needed from him.
“I don’t, I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something. We better than that,” White said, before taking an envelope filled with thousands in cash from the informant.
The councilman allegedly boasted about his influence, telling the informant that “I’m a huge voice when it comes to violent prevention and the Council” and that “I got great weight when it comes to violence” initiatives.
The two also discussed how White would use his position of power as a councilman to pressure government employees to “support” him, according to court documents. White recounted some of those conversations in recorded conversations with the informant, in one instance saying that he told a government employee: “The only way I’m gonna support you, if you support me.”
