David Edwards, the former deputy chief
information officer for Wayne County pleaded guilty today to taking illegal
gratuities from a private contractor because of his official acts, United
States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. McQuade was joined in the
announcement by Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).
During a hearing this morning before
United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III, Edwards, 41 of Detroit,
Michigan, admitted that between 2009 and 2011, he accepted $13,000 in cash from
a private contractor who had significant technology contracts with Wayne
County. During this period of time, Edwards was responsible for overseeing the
private contractor’s work for Wayne County. Edwards took the cash from the
contractor as a reward for his work as a county official.
Based on his guilty plea and felony
conviction for accepting illegal gratuities because of official acts as a
government official, Edwards is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine
of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
As part of his plea agreement with the
government, Edwards has agreed to cooperate fully with the federal authorities’
investigation of corruption within the Wayne County government.
United States Attorney McQuade said,
“This plea is one more step in the investigation to uncover public corruption in
Wayne County and to ensure that all citizens receive the honest government they
deserve.”
Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena of
the FBI said, “This serves as another example of a public servant abusing their
power and betraying public trust for personal gain. The Detroit FBI remains
committed to stopping corruption and holding public officials accountable for
their actions.”
This case was investigated by the FBI
led Public Corruption Task Force, which includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office,
State Attorney General’s Office, IRS-CID, HUD-OIG, EPA-CID, DOT-OIG, Michigan
State Police, and Detroit Police Department. The case was investigated by
special agents of the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney David A. Gardey.
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