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Attorney: Detroit Councilman Spivey Expects Bribery Charge

DETROIT (AP) — A three-term City Council member expects to be indicted on bribery charges, his attorney said Tuesday, July 27.

Detroit Councilman Andre Spivey | Credit: City of Detroit

Elliott Hall, an attorney for Andre Spivey, told the Detroit Free Press that Spivey expects to be indicted as early as Tuesday afternoon.

"The indictment has not been issued yet but we expect it in the next couple of hours," Hall said shortly after 1 p.m. "We will handle it as best we can."

Hall said Spivey allegedly took $1,000 from an undercover agent about three years ago but did nothing in return for the money. He has been cooperating with the U.S. Attorney's office for more than a year, Hall added.

"We're dealing with contributions people made to him that they consider to be a bribe, but it has nothing to do ... with any kind of vote or his actions as a public official," Hall told WXYZ-TV.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit had no comment Tuesday afternoon.

Former City Council member Gabe Leland was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court in June to 2 1/2 years of probation after pleading guilty to accepting an illegal cash campaign contribution.

Leland pleaded guilty in May to misconduct in office and resigned from his council seat representing Detroit's District 7. Court documents state that he accepted an illegal $7,500 cash campaign contribution. Federal corruption charges were to be dismissed as part of Leland's plea agreement in the state misconduct case.

Spivey represents the city's District 4 and first was elected in 2009. He did not file for reelection and is not on the ballot for the city's Aug. 3 primary.

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