Detroit city councilman indicted on federal bribery charges

Detroit city councilman Gabe Leland was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on bribery charges. The U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit said Leland faces one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Embattled Detroit city councilman Gabe Leland was officially indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges Thursday.

Leland, who was elected in 2013, has been accused of promising to delay or prevent the city’s sale of property a business owner believed to be his in exchange for $15,000 in bribes and free car repair work.

“I should ask for 30 [thousand dollars], but I’m nice to you,” Leland allegedly told the local auto shop owner.

“The public demands and is entitled to honest public servants,” FBI special agent in charge Timothy Slater said in a statement. “Today’s indictment of Detroit City Council Member Gabriel Leland underscores the fact that individuals who hold a position of public trust – and who betray that trust – will be held accountable.”

According to The Detroit News, Leland offered to help the auto shop owner keep hold of land the city was attempting to sell in the spring of 2017. Leland was the only councilman to vote twice against the sale of the land, according to the newspaper.

Prosecutors have also alleged Elisa Grubbs, a campaign staffer, aided Leland. She allegedly accepted the money and delivered it to Leland.

While he asked for $15,000, Leland only obtained $7,500 before he was indicted, according to prosecutors.

In July, Leland was accused by a former bar owner of offering his help with the multiple issues it faced – including tickets for violations – in exchange for free food, drinks and admittance into parties. Over time, Leland allegedly received more than $5,000 in food and drinks and ran up bar tabs that exceeded more than $200 at times, according to the lawsuit.

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These allegations are also under an investigation by a grand jury, according to The Detroit News.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Detroit said Leland faces one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery. If convicted, Leland could spend up to 10 years in jail and face a $250,000 fine for each bribery count. He also faces five years in prison for the bribery conspiracy charge, according to The Detroit News.

Leland was first elected just weeks after former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sent to prison for 28 years for city hall corruption, and now he is just the latest Detroit city councilman facing criminal charges.

In 2016, a former council president, Charles Pugh, was sentenced to at least 5½ years in prison for having sex with a teenager. Investigators said the boy was younger than 16 when the sex acts occurred in 2003 and 2004 when Pugh worked for a Detroit-area television station.

Former City Council President Monica Conyers pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to commit bribery. She admitted to taking bribes in exchange for her vote on a $47 million sludge hauling contract. She entered prison in 2010 and was released to a Detroit halfway house in January 2012.

Leland did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Friday morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.