 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

