DC Councilman Trayon White's federal bribery trial nears jury deliberations
Jury deliberations to start Wedensday in DC Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial
Jury deliberations in D.C. Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial are set to start on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON - Jury deliberations are set to begin Wednesday in D.C. Councilman Trayon White’s federal bribery trial.
What we know:
The jury sat for more than two hours of closing arguments, which wrapped up Tuesday, after four days of hearing witness testimony and evidence.
Prosecutors allege the Ward 8 councilmember accepted cash and up to $156,000 in kickbacks from businessman‑turned‑FBI informant Allieu Kamara in exchange for help to secure city violence‑interruption program contracts.
White’s defense acknowledged he took the cash but argues it was not a bribe. Kamara faces separate criminal charges for stealing money from a COVID Paycheck Protection Program and agreed to cooperate with federal investigators in hopes of a lighter sentence.
RELATED: Prosecution and defense rest in federal bribery trial for DC Councilman Trayon White
TRAYONWHITE-TRIAL WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) arrives to the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Court House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (Photo by Allison Robbert/For The Washingto
If convicted, White, who was expelled from the council but later won back his Ward 8 seat, faces up to 15 years in prison.
During the trial, jurors watched four hours of videos showing White accepting thousands of dollars in cash while discussing government contracts. During the first recorded interaction, when White accepted $15,000 in cash, he asked Kamara: What can I do for you.
The jury also saw a written agreement on paper purporting to show Kamara’s plan to give White 3% of the value of each government contract that got renewed, along with the pair discussing the 3% on tape.
White was in court actively taking notes during closing arguments on Tuesday.
The defense had two key themes: White’s character and casting doubt on Kamara.
White had several supporters in court, some of whom audibly approved when White’s attorneys recounted all the work he did for Ward 8. He can be heard on tape talking about visiting young people in jail and about helping residents who were displaced by a fire.
The number one rule of juries is that you never know what a jury is going to do. However, given the limited universe of evidence in this case — a handful of witnesses and the tapes — and the fact that it is just a single charge of bribery, it is not unreasonable to think that the jury could reach its conclusion by the end of the day on Wednesday.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.