New details emerge about informant connected to Trayon White scandal
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Council member Trayon White leaves courthouse. Photo: Michael A. McCoy for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The informant connected to D.C. Council member Trayon White's case also bribed another city official, according to unsealed court records.
Why it matters: The revelations show the reach of corruption in D.C. government, down to the agency level.
Flashback: More than a week before White was arrested on a bribery charge, Allieu Kamara pleaded guilty to bribing an employee at the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency to secure contracts for his business.
Between the lines: Kamara, whose nonprofit Life Deeds was awarded millions in contracts and grants from D.C. in the last decade, is not formally named in White's case as the FBI informant.
- But identifying details and the description of his business point to himself personally and to Life Deeds.
- Kamara's lawyers declined to comment to Axios.
Zoom in: Court documents unsealed last Thursday include the plea deal Kamara signed with prosecutors on Aug. 9 to become a cooperating witness.
- Kamara would normally face 7.5 to 10 years in prison, per court filings, but is expected to receive a more lenient sentencing.
- Kamara pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bribery. Among the provisions, it includes an option for Kamara to enter the witness protection program.
The bribery scheme involved Kamara paying an employee at the Child and Family Services Agency to provide confidential information about contracts and grants, according to prosecutors.
- The employee reviewed application materials from Kamara's business Life Deeds and from District Services Management to make suggestions to improve their chances of approval, court documents say.
- Prosecutors say the employee got kickbacks: $233,000 of the $2 million in contract proceeds for Life Deeds and DSM.
- Meanwhile, the bank fraud charges stem from false information submitted in PPP loan applications starting in 2020.
What's next: White has pleaded not guilty and is continuing his re-election campaign.
- He also faces a D.C. Council investigation conducted by an outside law firm, a process that's expected to wrap up before year-end and which could result in his expulsion from office.