Engineering Contractor Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bribery

An engineering contractor, Paulin Modi, 48, of Troy, was charged today in an information with one count of conspiracy to bribe a public official of Washington Township in connection with public contracts, Acting United States Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch announced.

Lemisch was joined in the announcement by David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Manny Muriel, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service.

The information alleges that, in May of 2014, Modi paid a $1,000 cash bribe to an official with Washington Township with respect to Modi’s contract. It also alleges that between June and October of 2014, Modi helped facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe by another contractor.

The United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI wish to acknowledge the extraordinary assistance of Washington Township Supervisor Daniel O’Leary, who brought the criminal conduct to the attention of federal law enforcement and has been a valuable asset to the investigation since its inception.

This case is part of the government’s wide-ranging corruption investigation centered in Macomb County, Michigan. The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Gardey and R. Michael Bullotta.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000

An information is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt