Former Deputy Chief Information Officer for Wayne County Pleads Guilty to Accepting $13,000 in Cash from a Private Contractor Because of His Official Acts
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 14, 2012 |
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.