WASHINGTON - Closing arguments are expected next week in the federal bribery trial of D.C. Councilman Trayon White after both the prosecution and defense rested their cases on Friday.
What we know:
White was arrested in 2024 on allegations that he took cash bribes in exchange for helping a businessman secure D.C. government contracts. He faces up to 15 years in prison on a single charge related to the alleged scheme. He has denied the claims.
White did not take the stand in his own defense.
The trial’s final day of testimony Friday focused on financial transactions and included testimony from an IRS agent. The jury will return to the courtroom on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The key witness in the government’s case is Allieu Kamara, a businessman turned FBI informant. White is accused of accepting $35,000 from Kamara to assist with government contracts.
READ MORE | FBI informant testifies in DC Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial
Videos and audio played in court showed White taking envelopes of cash from Kamara. In one instance on June 6, 2024, he was recorded taking an envelope with $15,000 in cash and putting it into the pocket of his suit jacket.
Kamara testified on Thursday that he drafted a cooperation agreement for White that could have yielded up to $156,000.
During cross-examination Thursday, defense attorneys scrutinized Kamara, seeking to challenge his credibility and questioning his memory, previous statements and motivation for testifying against the councilman. Kamara began working with the FBI to get a lighter sentence after facing his own federal criminal case.
The Source: Information in this article is from court records.