DC Councilmember Trayon White accused of bribery, taking cash, gifts

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — The FBI arrested D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. on Sunday after he was accused of taking cash payments in exchange for his influence.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, authorities arrested White on a criminal complaint charging him with bribery. White represents Ward 8 of the District and has served on the Council since 2017. He is the Chair of the Council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs, which oversees several agencies, including the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS).

Officials said the complaint began in June of this year when he allegedly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a Councilmember to pressure government employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and DYRS to extend several D.C. contracts.

As part of this exchange, White used his position to pressure the renewal of contracts for two companies, which was 3% of the total contract value. According to the Attorney’s Office, the contracts were valued at $5.2 million and were for two companies to provide violent intervention services in the District.

The complaint states that White’s agreement with a confidential business owner included a payment of $35,000 in cash. Officials said these payments were made over four separate occasions on; June 26, July 17, July 25 and Aug. 9.

A video also captured the business owner showing White the document that a 3% cut was calculated based on the contracts.

Court documents obtained by DCNewsNow.com revealed that the business owner gave White gifts, including a trip to the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser responded to a question about White’s arrest and the allegations at an unrelated news conference on Monday.

“It’s very troubling,” Bowser stated. “I’m sure constituents across the city, but especially in Ward 8 are very disappointed. People need representation. They need people that go down to the Wilson Building and put them first, fight for them, and I know that I speak for them in my disappointment about it.”

Bowser noted, “Anytime any part of the government is questioned in this way, it distracts from the very important work that has to be done.”

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson also spoke out on Monday, releasing a statement regarding the arrest and indictment of White.

Mendelson stated, in part:

The federal charges against Councilmember Trayon White are deeply disturbing. Notwithstanding the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, the allegations, together with the government’s affidavit, are a gut punch to the public trust in the Council.

Unfortunately, the judicial process can be slower than the public’s right to accountable government.  Accordingly, I will be following the Council’s Rules and establishing an Ad Hoc Committee to assess the situation, the evidence of wrongdoing to the extent it is available, and the questions about residency, and to make a recommendation to the full Council as soon as possible. It is my plan to work out the details and announce the appointments this week.

Because the federal allegations directly relate to the business of the Council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs, it is in my view necessary to remove Councilmember White from that Committee until the federal charges are resolved.  Accordingly, when the Council returns on September 17 ^th I will move to restructure that Committee by removing Mr. White from it.

Chairman Phil Mendelson

Mendelson went on to state that electing individuals who aspire to “high ethical standards” is essential and that the public has the right to hold public officials accountable.

Witnesses told DC News Now that they saw FBI agents take White into custody as he stood beside his car next to the entrance of his apartment building in Navy Yard.

“Yeah, it definitely looked like it’s something pretty serious. They had the block shut off for a good time,” said Matthew Mulquin, who witnessed the arrest. “But, yeah, it seemed like they had a good handle. We only saw really the second part of it, so. But yeah, it’s pretty crazy stuff.”

The arrest seemingly caught several neighbors by surprise.

“You know, just an average Sunday…it was pretty wild to see everybody in the lobby here,” said Briann Auray, who lives in the building next door. “It’s usually pretty quiet. So it was kind of a shock.”

“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,” said U.S. Attorney Graves.

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