FBI informant testifies in DC Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial
WASHINGTON - An FBI informant took the stand Wednesday during the second day of D.C. Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial.
What we know:
White was charged with a single count of felony bribery after allegations that he accepted cash payments with the intent to influence and extend government contracts using his position as a councilmember. He pleaded not guilty.
On Wednesday, D.C. businessman Allieu Kamara testified that he gave White tens of thousands of dollars with promises of hundreds of thousands more if the councilman helped Kamara’s companies get D.C. government contracts.
Prosecutors in the case have been playing videos that show White accepting envelopes of cash. They also played phone calls and showed text messages to the jury as they try to prove their bribery case against the Ward 8 councilmember.
READ MORE | Jury hears evidence in DC Councilmember Trayon White’s federal bribery trial
Kamara’s company ran violence interruption programs for the District. He described in court Wednesday how his company had lost its contracts because he had falsified background checks. He was facing his own federal criminal case and began to work with the FBI to get a lighter sentence.
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors used the second day of the trial to show surveillance videos of a meeting in Kamara’s car on June 6, 2024. White was seen taking an envelope with $15,000 in cash and putting it into the pocket of his suit jacket. Kamara then promised White similar payments every two weeks if White would help him get contracts.
In another video from July 17, 2024, Kamara is shown giving White "an agreement" of what he needed White to do, and what White should receive in return. Kamara testified that he offered up to $156,000 to the councilman in exchange for his help.
Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appeah also testified, saying it was highly unusual for councilmember White to directly reach out about the status of contracts or grants to individual companies that the government did business with.
There was little cross-examination Wednesday by the defense.
Emil Walker, a former supervisor who handled violence prevention programs, said he was also contacted by White. However, when a defense attorney asked if White had asked him to do anything illegal, Walker said no.
Defense attorneys argued that White was simply checking on the status of contracts for someone he knew, performing what they called constituent service.
Kamara also addressed a claim from Tuesday’s hearing, saying that he is not White’s brother-in-law and is not related to him in any way.
The trial will continue on Thursday.
The Source: Information in this article is from original FOX 5 DC reporting.