WASHINGTON — The founder of a Maryland nonprofit has been charged with bribing a former Prince George’s County Council member and state delegate in exchange for grant money.
Felix Ayala, founder of the Salvadoran Business Caucus, which provides scholarships to high school and college students, was charged Wednesday in federal court with bribery and making false statements, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Ayala paid former Maryland Del. Will Campos $5,000 a year between 2012 to 2015 in exchange for $100,000 in grant money, prosecutors said in court documents.
During part of that time, Campos was a member of the Prince George’s County Council, where he could dispense grant funds at his discretion. Court documents said Campos continued to accept the bribes after his election to the Maryland Statehouse.
Campos pleaded guilty last month to federal bribery and corruption charges following a far-reaching public corruption probe in Prince George’s County that also resulted in federal charges against two members of the county’s liquor board and two local businessmen.
In all, prosecutors accused Campos of collecting an estimated $40,000 worth of bribes in exchange for directing tax-supported grants to certain nonprofits.
