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D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr., pleaded not guilty Thursday to a bribery charge during an arraignment in U.S. District Court.
White was indicted last week by a federal grand jury, accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in cash payments from a business owner in exchange for help in renewing their companies’ violence-interruption contracts with the D.C. government.
Prosecutors say he was caught on video taking money from the business owner and agreeing to accept more payments.
White, who has represented Ward 8 on the D.C. Council since 2017, was the chairman of the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs that oversaw some of the District’s violence-interruption efforts.
The two contracts between the unnamed business owner and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services were valued at $5.2 million.
Overall, the business owner paid White a total of $35,000 in four meetings between June and August.
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said he plans to remove White as chairman of the council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs. White would be disqualified from holding public office if he’s convicted.
In a statement released by his campaign Thursday, White indicated he would not step down and would continue his reelection campaign.
“While these charges are serious, I want to assure the people of Ward 8 that my commitment to our community remains unwavering,” White said in the statement. “We have unfinished business to attend to, and it is essential that we continue to work together to advance the initiatives that matter most to our residents.”
Currently on the November ballot for the Council seat is White and Republican primary winner Nate Derenge, alongside write-in candidates Markus Batchelor, Michael Brown, Khadija Long and Olivia Henderson. WTOP news partner 7News reported that White attended the first Ward 8 political forum Wednesday evening.
Editor’s Note:An earlier version of this story incorrectly said a jury had found that White had taken cash payments from a business owner in exchange for help in renewing violence-interruption contracts. In fact, a jury has not yet heard the case. A grand jury has indicted White on bribery charges in connection with the allegation he accepted those payments.
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