Date: 10-24-2024

Case Style:

United States of America v. Shady Awad

Case Number:

Judge: Mark A. Goldsmith

Court: The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Detroit

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Detroit, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Bribing Former Taylor Mayor
Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Prison for Bribing Former Taylor Mayor

Real estate developer was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for bribing former Mayor of Taylor Richard Sollars with cash, home renovations, and other things of value in exchange for obtaining tax-foreclosed properties from the City of Taylor for redevelopment, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.

Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Shady Awad, 44, of Allen Park was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith.

According to court documents, between 2016 and 2018, Awad provided a steady stream of bribes to then-mayor Sollars in the form of cash, home improvements to Sollars’ home and lake house, appliances, and other items of value. Awad also agreed to charge more than $19,000 to his credit cards, and then convert the charges to cash for Sollars. In total, Awad provided Sollars with goods and services valued at $85,011.73, in exchange for being permitted to acquire tax-foreclosed properties to redevelop through the City of Taylor’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) program. This was a program designed to allow Taylor to acquire tax-foreclosed properties from Wayne County for redevelopment. As a result of the bribes Awad paid to Sollars, Sollars recommended to City Council that Awad be awarded the vast majority of the City’s ROFR properties.

“Mr. Awad’s conviction and sentence should send a strong message that not only will public officials who accept bribes be brought to justice by my office, but also, those who seek to gain an advantage by bribing public officials will face serious consequences as well,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison.

“Mr. Awad and the former Mayor of Taylor unlawfully corrupted the City of Taylor’s real estate redevelopment program, meant to benefit the city and its residents, for their own private gain,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “FBI Michigan’s Detroit Area Corruption Task Force remains committed to rigorously investigating public corruption, especially individuals who cheat the system by bribing public officials.”

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Carlson and Robert Moran.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to one year and a day in prison

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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