by
Mayor Patrick Wimberly
Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly, who is up for re-election this year, finds himself in big trouble.
Federal authorites announced Tuesday that the 49-year-old has been indicted on allegations that he took $50,000 in bribes to help a person, only indentified as "Person A," secure a winning bid on a parcel of city land.
According to the indictment, Wimberly met with the interested buyer on Sept. 29, 2022 and demanded a $100,000 bribe to secure the piece of land. At that meeting the person asked if they could make installments of $5,000 a month, and eventually $10,000, until the amount was paid off.
During the discussion, the mayor assured the person that he could control the city council vote on the land transaction, according to the indictment.
In all, from September 2022 to the following April, the mayor allegedly accepted $50,000 in bribes, the feds charged.
"Elected public officials owe a duty to their community to act in the citizens’ best interest,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a statement. “Our office is committed to prosecuting those public officials who betray the public trust by accepting bribes.”
