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A federal grand jury charges Detroit Councilman Gabe Leland with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery, the U.S. Attorney's Office announces.
The indictment follows a similar charge Wednesday against a campaign worker who was allegedly Leland's go-between in soliciting and accepting bribes from a Detroit businessman last year. That businessman, Robert Carmack, had asked for Leland's help in resolving a property dispute in Leland's District 7.
Councilman Gabe Leland
A media release from U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider's office states:
According to the indictment, beginning in May 2017, and continuing through August 2017, Councilman Leland conspired with Elisa Grubbs, a campaign worker, to solicit and accept bribes consisting of $15,000 in cash and free auto body work from a local business owner.
The indictment further alleges that Leland agreed to help delay or prevent the city’s sale of property that the business owner believed he owned in exchange for the bribes. Leland is charged with taking a $7,500 cash bribe on August 4, 2017, just four days before the primary election for Detroit City Council.
The FBI's Public Corruption Task Force was a driving force in the investigation. If convicted, Leland faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each bribery count, and up to 5 years and a fine of $250,000 for the bribery conspiracy count.
