DOJ: Democrat D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Arrested On Federal Bribery Charges

Ward 8 Councilmember, Trayon White, Sr. speaks during a rally. (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images for Under 3 DC)
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:09 PM – Monday, August 19, 2024

Federal bribery allegations have led to the arrest of Democrat D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. on Sunday, the Justice Department announced on Monday.

Advertisement
According to one criminal complaint, White consented, beginning in June, to take $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a member of the D.C. Council to exert pressure on officials at the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in order to extend a number of district contracts.

On Monday, White, 40, made his first appearance in a crowded federal courtroom. He was then released pending additional proceedings. White stayed mostly silent and only answered inquiries from Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey. He did not enter a plea.

The maximum punishment for this offense is 15 years in prison.

The terms of his release include giving up his passport and any firearms he may own, notifying pretrial services of any trips outside of the Washington, D.C., area, and obtaining the court’s approval before traveling anywhere abroad. A number of the witnesses in the case are municipal government employees with whom he regularly contacts in the course of his work.

The D.C. Council’s committee on recreation, libraries, and youth affairs, which is chaired by White, is in charge of a number of organizations, including the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services in the city.

According to the complaint, White is accused of pressuring government officials to extend contracts worth $5.2 million to two companies that would provide violence intervention services in the district.

As per the complaint, the $156,000, which was disbursed in four installments, represented 3% of the overall contract value. According to the complaint, the agreement between the owners of the two businesses was captured on camera.

The investigation is being handled by the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.

“Because the investigation into the alleged bribery scheme involved contracts that could soon be awarded and other potential official acts that could be taken, our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.

According to an NBC News spokesperson for the D.C. Council, White was taken into custody at 2:00 PM on Sunday. The council was unaware of the investigation into White previously, according to the spokesman, Lindsey Walton.

Since 2017, White has served as the city’s Ward 8 representative. In June, he was elected to a third term in the Democrat primary.

On September 19th, he is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing