AUGUST 6 • 2020 | 25
Jews in the D
D
etroit City
Councilmember Gabe
Leland is facing a new
round of criminal misconduct
charges, this time at the state
level. Prosecutors in Monroe
County allege that Leland,
37, accepted $7,500 in cash
campaign payments between
2017 and 2018 to influence
how he voted, according to the
Associated Press.
The state’
s mid-July felony
charge came a month before
Leland was scheduled to stand
trial in federal court. Leland was
previously indicted by a grand
jury in 2018 on three counts of
bribery, making him the high-
est-ranking Detroit politician to
be charged on the federal level
since former Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick. Leland’
s federal trial
was delayed due to COVID-19
and is scheduled to begin Aug.
17.
“He did commit an indictable
offense at common law, to wit:
accepted payments of money
to influence his vote on certain
city matters over the course
of his employment as a city
councilman,
” Michael Roehrig,
Monroe County Prosecuting
Attorney, told WXYZ-TV
.
Roehrig is taking lead of the
case after it was re-assigned by
the Michigan Attorney General’
s
office. The charges appear in the
Criminal Division of the Wayne
County Circuit Court. The case
is being handled by Monroe
County because Wayne County
Prosecutor Kym Worthy cited
a conflict of interest due to her
involvement in a separate case
with Detroit businessman Bob
Carmack, who is referred to in
Leland’
s indictment.
According to federal charges,
Leland requested $15,000 in
cash bribes from Carmack to
delay a city sale of a disputed
property. A staffer on Leland’
s
re-election campaign was also
charged with bribery conspir-
acy.
The federal indictment
could be dismissed with the
recent allegations levied by the
Monroe County prosecutor.
Under the state’
s misconduct
charges, Leland faces up to five
years in prison and a $10,000
fine. Federal charges carry up
to a 10-year sentence and a
$250,000 penalty.
“Mr. Leland accepted a cam-
paign contribution in cash,
which is against Michigan law,
”
Steve Fishman, Leland’
s attor-
ney, told the Jewish News. “I am
pleased that the case is being
resolved in state court.
”
According to Detroit’
s city
charter, an elected official must
forfeit their position if they
are convicted of, or plead to,
a felony while holding office.
Leland’
s status on City Council
has not been challenged by his
colleagues or the city’
s Board of
Ethics.
At press time, Leland has
not indicated if and when he’
d
resign. A plea deal has yet to be
submitted.
“I believe no matter whether
it’
s a state legislator or a city
councilman or somebody in
Congress, people are innocent
until proven guilty,
” Mayor
Mike Duggan said during a
press conference last week. “
And
if and when any individuals are
convicted, they should be out
immediately.
”
Leland’
s newest allegations
come amid a pivotal vote.
Detroit City Council recently
passed a bond question for
the November ballot that, if
approved by voters, would free
up $250 million for demolition
and rehabilitation work on
thousands of the city’
s vacant
homes. Private companies
awarded contracts by City
Council would carry out the
blight remediation. Leland’
s vote
for the blight bond measure
took place within days of the
new misconduct charges.
“The United States
Constitution has us operate
under a presumption of inno-
cence,
” City Councilmember
Scott Benson added. “Mr.
Leland is my colleague. I will
continue to support him. He
continues to support the resi-
dents of Detroit and his con-
stituents. So until that time, I’
m
not going to speculate on his
future.
”
Leland is Detroit’
s only
Jewish, and only white, city
councilmember. He was first
elected in 2013 to represent
District 7, which includes much
of the city’
s west side surround-
ing Grand River and I-96, and
neighborhoods like Russell
Woods and Warrendale. His
move to city politics followed a
five-year stint in Lansing repre-
senting Michigan’
s 10th District
in the State House.
Raised in northwest Detroit
and the capital, Gabe Leland
is the son of Burton Leland, a
longtime Democratic politi-
cian who served on the Wayne
County Commission and
both houses of the Michigan
Legislature. According to his
city council website, Leland
attends the Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue in
Detroit.
Gabe Leland
Confronts New
Corruption Charges
Detroit’
s only Jewish City
Councilmember is charged with bribery
and accepting improper gifts.
ELI NEWMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“I believe people are innocent
until proven guilty.”
— MIKE DUGGAN
Gabe
Leland