Key witness testifies he paid Trayon White for help securing DC contracts – WTOP News
On the second day of testimony in the federal bribery trial of D.C. Council member Trayon White, prosecutors called several D.C. officials before turning to a key witness they say is central to their case.
The day began with White’s attorneys getting additional time to question FBI Special Agent Matthew Gano, who led the corruption investigation.
The defense accused the FBI of giving businessman Allieu Kamara “white-glove treatment” and allowing him to control the flow of information during the investigation. Defense attorneys also focused on calls between White and Kamara that were not recorded, including one that occurred before Kamara agreed to cooperate with the FBI.
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Gano acknowledged some calls were not recorded, leaving investigators dependent on Kamara’s account of those conversations.
Prosecutors pushed back and Gano testified that the unrecorded calls, combined with the men’s actions afterward, never raised red flags for investigators.
Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah testified that White never contacted her about Life Deeds, a company connected to Kamara.
Former D.C. grants supervisor Anwar Walker testified that White did ask him about a grant involving Life Deeds. Walker described that type of contact as “unusual” but said White never attempted to persuade him to take any action related to the contract.
Prosecutors then called Kamara to the witness stand.
Kamara is the businessman who prosecutors say handed White $35,000 in cash during several meetings, which is at the center of the case. He also secretly recorded conversations with White while cooperating with the FBI.
Kamara testified that he and White had an agreement where White would receive 3% of D.C. contracts that White helped Kamara’s companies secure or keep.
Prosecutors spent time playing FBI recordings for jurors, frequently pausing the recordings so Kamara could explain what he said was being discussed.
Kamara testified that White used his position and relationships with D.C. officials to help Kamara’s companies and knew it was a “pay to play” situation.
The prosecution also showed jurors a photograph of a legal pad that Kamara testified listed four contracts worth several million dollars. Kamara said the handwritten calculations showed what 3% of the contracts’ total value would amount to if White helped preserve some contracts and secure others. That number: $156,000.
Prosecutors also sought to show that White and Kamara’s relationship predated 2024. Kamara testified that the two traveled together to the Dominican Republic in 2018 and again in 2021.
Arrangement seen as illegal
Kamara testified that he viewed White as someone who, because of his position, could help him with his businesses. He also told jurors he eventually realized their arrangement was illegal.
Kamara further testified about what he described as a separate $20,000 bribe he said he paid White in 2019. He said the money was delivered in two $10,000 cash payments, including one he said he handed to White in White’s office at the Wilson Building.
Kamara said he made those payments after a city contract was terminated because he and his company knowingly submitted false documents to the city. He told jurors he took a “gamble” by paying White, hoping to receive help.
White has not been charged in connection with the bribe Kamara claimed he gave the lawmaker.
Kamara also testified that, during discussions about that 2019 matter, White told him then-D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine had instructed White to leave Life Deeds alone and that the situation strained White’s relationship with Racine.
Racine is expected to testify for the prosecution in the coming days.
Kamara also directly contradicted a claim made by White’s attorneys during opening statements, testifying that he is not White’s brother-in-law.
Jurors watched closely throughout the testimony. At times, White could be seen conferring with his attorneys and, at one point, appeared to point toward Kamara while speaking with a lawyer.
Kamara testified that he decided to tell the FBI about the alleged bribery scheme because he “chose to tell the truth” and wanted to bring it “into the light.”
A significant portion of Kamara’s testimony remains ahead. White’s attorneys have not yet begun cross-examination. During opening statements and questioning throughout the trial, the defense has raised the possibility of entrapment and suggested Kamara may have encouraged White to accept the cash.
Kamara is awaiting sentencing in a fraud case of his own involving COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans, and his sentencing will come after the White trial concludes.
White faces 15 years in prison and would lose his council seat if convicted.
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