DC Councilmember Trayon White Arrested On Suspicion Of Accepting $156,000 In Bribes

According to the complaint, White is alleged to have taken $156,000 in cash in order to push government employees to extend certain contracts.

On Aug. 18, Washington, D.C., Councilmember Trayon White Sr. was arrested on federal bribery charges. According to the complaint, White allegedly took $156,000 in cash to pressure government employees to extend specific contracts.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the 40-year-old White was to extend contracts valued at $5.6 million in exchange for the cash. Furthermore, the payments represented a three percent cut of the contract, paid to White by a confidential source on four separate occasions. White’s interaction with his alleged source was captured on video.

According to Matthew M. Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the arrest and charges happened quickly due to the circumstances.

“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.”

According to NBC News, White was generally silent during his court appearance on Aug. 19 and did not enter a plea. White was dressed casually, wearing a grey sweatshirt, black pants, and grey sneakers. If convicted, White will face a maximum sentence of 15 years.

To be released on bail, White will be required to surrender his passport and guns, if he has any, and notify pretrial services if he plans on traveling outside of the D.C. area. He will also need the court’s permission to travel internationally. He cannot speak with any witnesses in the case, which NBC News notes will be difficult as he will have to interact with those individuals during his job.

White has represented Washington D.C.’s Ward 8 since 2017 and recently won the Democratic primary in June. White’s next court appearance is a status hearing on Sept. 19. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI Washington Field Office, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office are handing the current investigation into White’s alleged involvement in the scheme.