WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington will take D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. to trial a second time, prosecutors told a federal judge Thursday, weeks after his first bribery trial ended without a verdict.
The announcement came at a status conference before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, who declared a mistrial in September when jurors could not agree. Prosecutors also said they intend to seek a superseding indictment from a grand jury, which could add charges. They named May as the earliest likely date for a new trial.
White, who represents Ward 8, was arrested in 2024 and accused of taking more than $150,000 in bribes to push city employees to extend violence intervention contracts. Investigators said an FBI informant handed him cash on four occasions, and the encounters were secretly recorded.
Defense attorney Gary Kohlman argued the retrial was racially motivated, and said nine of the 12 jurors had favored acquittal. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called that claim absurd. Kohlman said he will not represent White at the next trial. The judge set the next status conference for Feb. 2.
The Council expelled White after his arrest, but Ward 8 voters returned him to the seat in a special election last year.
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