An FBI employee guards the entrance doors to the Detroit City Council on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Detroit. Federal agents searched the homes of two Detroit City Council members, Janeé Ayers and Scott Benson, and city offices Wednesday, just a few weeks after another official was charged in an alleged bribery scheme. (Jose Juarez/Detroit News via AP)
FBI agents raided the Detroit City Hall and the homes of city council members amid allegations of public corruption. On Wednesday, the hours-long raid specifically targeted council members Janee Ayers and Scott Benson as agents executed search warrants on several properties.
This comes just weeks after one councilman was accused of accepting tens-of-thousands of dollars in bribes over the course of four years. Though the full extent of the raid is unclear, FBI spokesman Tim Waters said it’s the people’s right to know what’s going on.
“Why are we doing these search warrants? Because the citizens of Detroit have a right to a city government that is free of corruption…I want to make it clear that no one is being charged today,” he stated. “Simply, what we’re doing today is collecting evidence, which will be presented to the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Michigan who will make all decisions on charging in this ongoing investigation.”
#BREAKING The @FBIDetroit Executing search warrants on two members of the Detroit City Council here on the 13th floor of the City County building. @FOX2News @WWJ950 #detroit pic.twitter.com/VCXGfQD9iq
— Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) August 25, 2021
No criminal charges have been filed, but prosecutors will soon decide what, if any, charges are issued.
Source: One America News Network
