Detroit— New federal charges have been levied against a Royal Oak Township official who was indicted in August on charges of bribery.
Township Supervisor William Morgan and a newly named defendant, Kendrick Covington, are charged with conspiracy in the superseding indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. An arraignment has not been set.
Morgan was arraigned in August in federal court in Detroit on three counts of bribery after federal agents arrested him at the Township Hall. If convicted, the charges could land him in prison for more than 10 years.
Federal prosecutors allege Morgan pocketed more than $10,000 in bribes from contractors. He's also charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Morgan's attorney, Amer Hakim, could not be reached Wednesday. He previously denied his client accepted money. Covington does not yet have an attorney listed in court records.
The charges stem from Morgan's alleged role in awarding a contract and distributing federal funds intended for demolishing dilapidated buildings in blighted areas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The added counts allege Morgan and Covington conspired with each other and "various other persons" to make a false claim to HUD for asbestos abatement. The filing also alleges the pair falsified documents. The acts are alleged to have occurred from May 2009 through March 2010.
Authorities say that on July 23, 2009, Sureguard Inc./PBM Services LLC submitted a bid to Royal Oak Township for demolition and asbestos removal from dilapidated structures in the township, including the old Duke Theater on Eight Mile.
Morgan is accused of accepting a $10,000 wire transfer in August 2009 from the owner of the company.
No comments:
Post a Comment