Bribery probe closes in on Conyers
City Council member weighs federal plea deal
Leonard N. Fleming and Paul Egan / The Detroit News
Detroit -- Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers said Tuesday she's trusting God to deliver her from her mounting problems -- a possible federal indictment and the prospect of prison.
Prosecutors who offered Conyers a chance to plead guilty to a five-year bribery-related felony charge in return for expected leniency wanted an answer by the end of Tuesday, persons familiar with the investigation said, though it was not clear that represented a firm deadline.
Conyers, who had not answered by the end of the business day, does not want to go to jail and is resisting pleading to an offense more serious than a misdemeanor, sources said.
The federal investigation of Conyers has focused on an alleged pattern of behavior that includes accusations she demanded and accepted cash and other benefits in connection with her duties as a council member and her former role as a trustee of the city's General Retirement System, persons familiar with the investigation said.
Steve Fishman, Conyers' attorney, declined to comment.
Conyers, wife of U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D), ducked reporters Tuesday, but alluded to the controversy during a live broadcast of her show on WHPR-TV (Channel 33), saying "all these things going on right now, I believe in my heart, God will deliver me from."
"If you're not praying for me, you're just adding to the problem ...," Conyers said. "If you don't have the truth to say, then keep your comments to yourself. You can't comment on me, my husband or my family, because you don't know us."
Monday's guilty plea to a bribery conspiracy charge by Detroit businessman Rayford W. Jackson stepped up the pressure on Conyers, identified by persons familiar with the FBI investigation as the "Council Member A" referred to in court documents. Jackson admitted using a courier on four occasions to send Council Member A bribes totaling more than $6,000 in connection with a $1.2 billion sewage sludge contract the council awarded to Synagro Technologies Inc. of Texas in 2007.
Conyers switched her position from opposing to supporting the Synagro contract, allowing it to pass in a 5-4 vote.
Prosecutors gave Conyers a chance to plead to a five-year felony in return for a reduced sentence.
The government has electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Conyers to receiving payments in connection with the Synagro deal, sources said.
The prospect of a Conyers indictment means Detroit remains mired in scandal four months after former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick completed 99 days in the Wayne County Jail on obstruction of justice and assault charges. A wide-ranging FBI investigation of City Hall continues.
It also could be a political embarrassment to her husband, who is chairman of the committee that oversees the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090617/METRO/906170357/1024/Bribery-probe-closes-in-on-Conyers#
LOL
Someone should immediately call for an investigation on what he knew.
City Council member weighs federal plea deal
Leonard N. Fleming and Paul Egan / The Detroit News
Detroit -- Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers said Tuesday she's trusting God to deliver her from her mounting problems -- a possible federal indictment and the prospect of prison.
Prosecutors who offered Conyers a chance to plead guilty to a five-year bribery-related felony charge in return for expected leniency wanted an answer by the end of Tuesday, persons familiar with the investigation said, though it was not clear that represented a firm deadline.
Conyers, who had not answered by the end of the business day, does not want to go to jail and is resisting pleading to an offense more serious than a misdemeanor, sources said.
The federal investigation of Conyers has focused on an alleged pattern of behavior that includes accusations she demanded and accepted cash and other benefits in connection with her duties as a council member and her former role as a trustee of the city's General Retirement System, persons familiar with the investigation said.
Steve Fishman, Conyers' attorney, declined to comment.
Conyers, wife of U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D), ducked reporters Tuesday, but alluded to the controversy during a live broadcast of her show on WHPR-TV (Channel 33), saying "all these things going on right now, I believe in my heart, God will deliver me from."
"If you're not praying for me, you're just adding to the problem ...," Conyers said. "If you don't have the truth to say, then keep your comments to yourself. You can't comment on me, my husband or my family, because you don't know us."
Monday's guilty plea to a bribery conspiracy charge by Detroit businessman Rayford W. Jackson stepped up the pressure on Conyers, identified by persons familiar with the FBI investigation as the "Council Member A" referred to in court documents. Jackson admitted using a courier on four occasions to send Council Member A bribes totaling more than $6,000 in connection with a $1.2 billion sewage sludge contract the council awarded to Synagro Technologies Inc. of Texas in 2007.
Conyers switched her position from opposing to supporting the Synagro contract, allowing it to pass in a 5-4 vote.
Prosecutors gave Conyers a chance to plead to a five-year felony in return for a reduced sentence.
The government has electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Conyers to receiving payments in connection with the Synagro deal, sources said.
The prospect of a Conyers indictment means Detroit remains mired in scandal four months after former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick completed 99 days in the Wayne County Jail on obstruction of justice and assault charges. A wide-ranging FBI investigation of City Hall continues.
It also could be a political embarrassment to her husband, who is chairman of the committee that oversees the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090617/METRO/906170357/1024/Bribery-probe-closes-in-on-Conyers#
LOL
Someone should immediately call for an investigation on what he knew.
