Overview
- Deliberations in the federal bribery case against D.C. Councilmember Trayon White have passed two full days without a verdict and are ongoing.
- Jurors have sent repeated questions asking whether a contract had to be extended or whether White needed to intend to follow through, and the judge has pointed them back to the written jury instructions.
- Prosecutors presented surveillance video, secret recordings, text messages and a written note that they say promised White a 3 percent cut, and their case centers on roughly $35,000 in cash handoffs from FBI cooperator Allieu Kamara.
- White’s defense does not dispute the cash transfers but argues there was no corrupt agreement or intent, while the prosecution relies heavily on Kamara’s cooperation and recordings, which the defense has challenged as self-interested.
- A conviction would carry prison time and automatic loss of White’s Ward 8 council seat, and legal experts say the jury’s focus on intent and what counts as an 'official act' reflects how narrower court precedents can complicate bribery prosecutions.