Prosecutors: DC Councilman Accepted $150K in Bribes

A District of Columbia councilmember known for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories accepted over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for pressuring DC employees to extend city contracts for violence intervention services, authorities alleged in court records unsealed Monday. Trayon White Sr., a Democrat who ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2022, was arrested Sunday on a federal bribery charge and released from custody after a brief court appearance Monday, the AP reports. His attorney declined to comment on the allegations against him.

White agreed in June to accept roughly $156,000 in kickbacks and cash payments in exchange for pressuring government agency employees to extend two companies' contracts worth over $5 million, prosecutors said. Authorities said they have secretly recorded conversations between White and an FBI informant who gave White $35,000 in cash on four occasions between June and August. A photo included in court papers shows White stuffing what the FBI says is an envelope filled with $15,000 in cash in his jacket pocket. The informant—who operated businesses that contracted with the DC government —also reported giving White gifts including travel to the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas, the FBI said. The informant agreed to cooperate with the FBI as part of an agreement to plead guilty to fraud and bribery charges, per the AP.

In one secretly recorded meeting detailed in court papers, authorities say the informant gave White $5,000 in cash and told the councilmember that the money was in exchange for reaching out to two government employees. White responded: "I am on top of all of that. ... Once you and I lock eyes and gets to an understanding, I gets to work. I can start making some (expletive) happen." White didn't speak to reporters as he left the courthouse. His supporters shouted, "We love you, Trayon!" and "Ward 8!" as he departed. White, who has served on the DC Council since 2017, represents a predominantly Black ward where the poverty rate is nearly twice that of district overall. He is running for reelection in November. (More District of Columbia stories.)