Federal prosecutors announced plans to retry Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. on bribery charges, following a hearing in U.S. District Court.
The decision comes roughly a month after White's initial federal bribery trial ended in a mistrial when a jury deadlocked after more than three days of deliberations. Defense attorney Gary Kohlman revealed that the previous jury was split 9-3 in favor of acquittal. During Thursday's hearing, prosecutors informed U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras that they also intend to seek a superseding indictment from a grand jury, which could bring additional charges against White.
The prosecution's case centers on allegations that White accepted cash in exchange for steering government contracts to a violence intervention nonprofit. Secretly recorded FBI videos from the summer of 2024 reportedly show White pocketing $35,000 in cash and discussing a 3% cut on contract renewals. While the defense did not deny that White took the money, they argued the government failed to prove he intended to use his office corruptly.
Defense counsel strongly criticized the decision to pursue a retrial, accusing the government of acting in bad faith and targeting White—claims that U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro strongly rejected during a press conference. Kohlman also indicated he will not represent White in the upcoming proceedings due to legal defense costs. White, who has continued to represent Ward 8 throughout his legal challenges, is scheduled to appear in court again on February 2.
