Trayon White bribery trial: Judge to weigh defense bid to dismiss charge – WJLA

Trayon White bribery trial: Judge to weigh defense bid to dismiss charge  WJLA

A federal judge is expected to consider Monday afternoon whether to acquit the federal bribery charge against D.C. Councilmember Trayon White , after both sides rested their cases Friday. The defense is arguing prosecutors failed to prove White took official action in exchange for money he allegedly received. The judge's decision will determine whether the bribery charge proceeds to the jury. White is accused of pocketing tens of thousands of dollars to steer city contracts. He has pleaded not guilty. “Of the many different threads within the FBI’s hastily contrived sting operation staged against Mr. White with a Confidential Informant, none of them played out during the seven weeks of the undercover operation sufficiently to meet the elements of bribery," the defense wrote in a motion filed Sunday.

"[N]o no reasonable juror’s eyes and ears could miss how Kamara thrust the unsolicited cash on Mr. White without any prior understanding of what it was for, at most asked that Mr. White look into the status of Kamara’s contracts after taking the cash, and explained a later payment as a 'thank you' — also known as a gratuity.” The defense called three character witnesses Friday, including former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. Racine testified that he had never seen White attempt to steer city contracts to the FBI informant, Allieu Kamara.