Former Pontiac City Council Member Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 26, 2013 |
A former Pontiac City councilman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Detroit to accepting bribes, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced.
United States Attorney McQuade was joined in the announcement by Robert D. Foley, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Bernard A. Friedman was Everett Seay, 61, of Pontiac, Michigan.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2008, Everett Seay met repeatedly with a “J.B.,” a person who purported to be a drug dealer from Chicago, who was seeking the assistance of members of the Pontiac City Council to obtain a “regulated use” ordinance to open a business to buy and sell gold for the purpose of laundering drug proceeds. Unknown to Seay, J.B. was actually an FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity. During several meetings, Seay solicited and accepted bribe payments from J.B. Between July and December 2008, Seay received $10,800 in bribe payments from J.B.
United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade said, “Public officials who accept bribes do not belong in office. We hope that our efforts to prosecute corrupt public officials will cause deter candidates from seeking office for personal gain.”
Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley stated, “Public officials who abuse their power to enrich themselves rather than serving the citizens will be brought to justice. The FBI is committed to stopping those who betray public trust and rob taxpayers of honest government.”
The criminal charges against Everett Seay carry a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been set for June 26, 2013.
This case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheldon Light.