DETROIT – Detroit City Council member Andre Spivey, 47, has pleaded guilty to bribery charges, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Spivey admitted to conspiring with a member of his staff to commit bribery by accepting more than $35,000 in bribe payments in connection with City Council’s oversight of towing in Detroit.
According to court records, Spivey was serving as an elected member of the Detroit City Council when he accepted $35,900 from an undercover federal law enforcement officer and an informant for the FBI.
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In eight separate incidents between February 2018 and February 2020, Spivey or a member of his staff (identified as Public Official A), accepted bribe payments amounting to thousands of dollars from the agent or the informant.
Officials said Spivey met with the undercover agent and the informant at the Side Street Diner in Grosse Pointe on Oct. 26, 2018. They said Spivey accepted $1,00 in cash from the agent and another $1,000 from the informant. The payments were made to seek Spivey’s assistance with a proposed towing ordinance that was going to go before the City Council.
Another incident occurred on Feb. 21, 2020. The informant gave $8,000 cash to Public Official A and the agent gave Public Official A $4,000 in cash. Officials said the Public Official A took the money knowing that it was given for the benefit of Spivey.
The bribery count that Spivey pleaded guilty to carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Spivey will face a sentencing range of between 37 and 46 months of imprisonment and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.
Spivey is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2022.
Spivey has served on the Detroit City Council since 2009. He is expected to resign from his position as a result of his guilty plea.
Officials said this is the first case charged as part of the government’s investigation known as “Operation Northern Hook.” It’s an investigation into corruption within the government and the Detroit Police Department relating to the towing industry and other incidents.
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