Federal corruption trial opens for DC Council member Trayon White

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This courtroom sketch depicts Trayon White, Sr., second from right, with defense attorneys Bruce Serby, right, and Warren Kohlman, third from right, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contrera, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at Federal Court in Washington. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

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10:02 AM on Tuesday, September 15

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bribery trial starts this week for a Washington, D.C., Council member accused of accepting cash from an associate in exchange for using his elected position to help extend city contracts for the associate's businesses.

A federal jury in the nation's capital was scheduled to hear attorneys' opening statements on Tuesday for Trayon White's trial on one count of bribery. White has pleaded not guilty to the charge and denies breaking the law.

White was arrested in 2024 on a charge that he accepted over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for pressuring D.C. employees to extend city contracts for violence intervention services. Authorities say they secretly recorded conversations between White and an FBI informant who gave White $35,000 in cash on four occasions.

Other D.C. Council members voted unanimously to oust White from the council after his arrest. But he won a special election last year to retake the Ward 8 council seat vacated by his expulsion.