D.C. Council member Trayon White pleads not guilty in federal bribery case

D.C. Council member Trayon White pleaded not guilty Thursday in his federal bribery case, in which he is accused of taking cash to influence government contracts.

Mr. White, 40, is due back in court Nov. 13. The councilman didn’t comment on his case as supporters shepherded him into the back of a waiting SUV outside the courthouse.

The Ward 8 Democrat’s not-guilty plea comes as Mr. White has less than two months before voters will decide whether to reelect him to his council seat.

Mr. White is seeking a third term as the representative for the historically high-crime neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Campaign manager Fria Moore said the goal now is to make sure people get out and vote for the criminally charged councilman.

“We still have an election [and] we’re going to start our campaign,” Ms. Moore said outside the courthouse.

Convicted felons cannot hold a seat on the D.C. Council — a change voters made to the District’s charter in 2012 after former council member Harry Thomas Jr. and former Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown were convicted of embezzlement and bank fraud, respectively.

Last month, civic leaders and activists in Mr. White’s ward told The Washington Times that they hope the councilman remains on the ballot to eliminate any chance that Republican Nate Derenge wins the seat.

Mr. White is a heavy favorite in the election, despite four new contenders adding themselves to the ballot as write-in candidates. Activists said they believe the best course is for Mr. White to win the election and let either the courts or the council decide his fate.

The D.C. council is expected to deliver the findings of its own investigation into Mr. White in December.

In the meantime, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson plans to remove Mr. White as head of the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs this month.

Mr. White is accused of directing contracts to the Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. He directly oversees the latter agency in his committee leadership position.

FBI agents arrested the councilman Aug. 18 near the Navy Yard neighborhood in the Southeast. He was accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in kickbacks in exchange for directing $5 million in grants to his preferred anti-violence providers.

Court documents include photos of the councilman pocketing envelopes full of cash from an FBI informant that amounted to roughly $35,000.

On one occasion, Mr. White allegedly told the informant, “Once you and I lock eyes and gets to an understanding, I gets to work. I can start making s—- happen,” according to the filing.

In other meetings with the informant, Mr. White is accused of talking about expanding the scheme into mental health services because it’s a “cash cow,” and eventually looking into housing because “you are going to get the most money.”

Mr. White also took $20,000 to resolve a prior contract dispute by pressuring high-level city officials and accepted trips to Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic as gifts from the FBI informant, according to federal authorities.

The unidentified informant pleaded guilty last month on separate bribery charges. The person’s identity hasn’t been shared by authorities.

Mr. White is described as the protege of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, whose political career survived an FBI sting in 1990 when the “Mayor for Life” was caught smoking crack in a downtown hotel.

A friendly jury only convicted Barry of one misdemeanor drug count. Barry would go on to win a fourth term as mayor and then held the council’s Ward 8 seat until his death in 2014, opening the door for Mr. White to take over in 2017.

In 2018, Mr. White made controversial remarks about European Jewish financiers controlling the weather and federal government. He has since apologized but has supported Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam.