Some violence interruption programs in D.C. will be under review following the arrest of Council member Trayon White Sr., who is accused of taking bribes from a business owner seeking help renewing his companies’ contracts with the District government.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office said Wednesday that it would be conducting an internal review of the Ward 8 Council member’s work with violence interruption programs in the city.
In a statement, Bowser’s office shared that it “will conduct an internal review of the Councilmember’s interactions with violence interruption programs, and we will, of course, cooperate with law enforcement as needed.”
White was caught on video receiving thousands in kickbacks from a business owner seeking help to renew his two companies’ violence-interruption contracts with the D.C. government, according to prosecutors.
As a council member, White was the chairman of a committee that oversaw some of the District’s violence-interruption efforts. The city’s efforts involve organizations staffed by community members acting as “credible messengers” who seek to de-escalate neighborhood conflicts.
The two contracts the unnamed business owner had with the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services were valued at $5.2 million. The agreed upon payments to White represented about 3% of the total contract value, prosecutors said.
White was released from custody and forced to surrender his passport. His next court date is Sept. 19.
Chairman of the D.C. Council Phil Mendelson called the charges “deeply disturbing” and that he planned to remove White as chairman of the council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs until the charges are resolved once the council returns to work on Sept. 17.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.
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