FBI arrests Democratic D.C. Council member on charges of bribery

The FBI on Sunday reportedly arrested Democrat D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr.

According to court documents unsealed Monday, White is charged with accepting over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for him using his position as an elected official to help companies with city contracts.

According to an FBI agent's affidavit, the Associated Press reported, accepted approximately $156,000 in kickbacks and cash payments for agreeing to pressure government agency employees to extend contracts totaling over $ 5 million for to companies providing violence intervention services.

The allegations rely on statements from an FBI informant who agreed to plead guilty to fraud and bribery charges, and White is accused of accepting other gifts to help with companies with government contracts.

Ten agents with battering rams were seen outside of his apartment building in the city's Navy Yard neighborhood, according to The Washington Post. 

White represents the city's Ward 8, in which one-quarter of the residents live below the poverty level and violent crime has long been a problem. 

White’s attorney, Fredrick D. Cooke Jr., who previously represented former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, told the Post he’d been unable to speak to White.

White is running for a third term in the November election to represent the ward, in the southeast quadrant of the city. He doesn't not face any serious challengers in the race.

The D.C. campaign finance office, according to the Post, fined White $40,000 earlier this year, accusing him of failing to provide documentation to correct discrepancies in his 2022 campaign finance reporting. White filed appeals, and the issues have not been resolved, according to a spokesperson for the office.