Bribery Trial Opens for DC Council Member Trayon White
Trayon White's federal bribery trial began with opening statements in Washington, D.C., where he denies accepting over $150,000 in exchange for helping extend city contracts.
A federal bribery trial for Washington, D.C., Council member Trayon White opened this week, with a jury in the nation's capital set to hear attorneys' opening statements on Tuesday.
White faces a single count of bribery. He has pleaded not guilty and denies breaking the law.
Prosecutors allege that White accepted more than $150,000 in bribes in return for using his elected position to press D.C. employees to extend city contracts for violence intervention services. According to authorities, conversations between White and an FBI informant were secretly recorded, and the informant handed White $35,000 in cash on four separate occasions.
White was arrested in 2024 following the allegations. In response, other members of the D.C. Council voted unanimously to expel him from the body.
He later won a special election last year to reclaim the Ward 8 council seat that had been vacated by his expulsion, returning him to the position while the criminal case proceeded.
The trial now moves forward with opening statements, marking the start of proceedings that will determine whether White is convicted on the bribery charge.