(WWJ) The mayor of Taylor has been indicted on bribery and wire fraud charges, following a public corruption investigation by the FBI.
Mayor Richard "Rick" Sollars was arraigned, along with two co-defendants, in Federal Court in Detroit on Thursday.
He stood mute and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf to the charges that could land him in prison for up to 20 years.
"The unearthing of allegedly blatant corruption at the top levels of government in the City of Taylor should disturb every citizen of our state," said United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, in a statement. "Federal law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute any public officials who chose their personal greed over their public oath."
The 33-count indictment unsealed Thursday charges Sollars, businessman Shady Awad and Taylor Community Development Manager Jeffrey Baum with conspiracy to commit bribery in a scheme spanning from 2015 to 2019.
View a copy of the indictment.
The indictment also charges Sollars and Awad with seven counts of bribery each, and charges Sollars and Baum with 18 counts of Wire Fraud. According to the Indictment, Sollars helped Awad's real estate development company Realty Transition LLC obtain scores of tax-foreclosed properties owned by the City of Taylor.
In return, Awad allegedly lavished Sollars with thousands of dollars in cash and over $30,000 in renovations to Sollars's home, over $11,000 in renovations to Sollars's lake house, and over $12,000 in new household appliances.
The appliances included a refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, a $1,600 cigar humidor, a vacuum cleaner, and a clothes washer and dryer, the feds say. The free renovations provided to Sollars by Awad include hardwood floors on every level of Sollars's Taylor residence, hardwood floors at the lake house, a garage door, a new front door, cabinets, and a refurbished lake house deck, according to the indictment.
The indictment also alleges that Jeffrey Baum received bribes from Awad and another developer, in exchange for Baum's help in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties from the City. Text messages between Sollars, Awad, and Baum cited throughout the Indictment document the bribe scheme.
In one text, Awad stated: "My relationship with Rick is worth $1 million so whatever it takes I'll pay for it" in telling a contractor to do free work on Sollars's lake house. In another text, the Indictment states that Awad told Sollars that Sollars was Awad's "silent partner" in Awad's real estate development business.
The Indictment also charges Sollars and Baum with 18 counts of Wire Fraud, alleging that Sollars and Baum defrauded donors to Sollars's campaign fund in three ways. First, Sollars would take checks from his campaign account and write them payable to a particular market, purporting to pay for catering for one of Sollars's events. Instead, the market owner would cash the campaign checks and give the cash back to Sollars, with no catering provided.
Second, the FBI said Sollars and Baum would direct Sollars's supporters to write checks directly to the market for events that never occurred. Sollars would get cash and scratch-off lottery tickets from the market owner. Third, Sollars and Baum would solicit and accept thousands of dollars in cash contributions to Sollars's campaign. Instead of depositing the funds into his campaign account, Sollars would simply keep the cash and use it for personal expenses. The Indictment also seeks forfeiture of $205,993 in cash seized from Sollars's home on February 10, 2019.
Sollars, 45, is a resident of Taylor. Awad, 39, and Baum, 44, are both residents of Allen Park.
"I would think that's he's gonna have to resign," WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton said of Sollars. "I would think that he's not going to be able to hold office, and he probably shouldn't hold office."
"His number one focus right now would be to deal with these charges. And, if the feds have it, the feds have a lot of resources...and they've been looking at this guy for a long time ."
Back in February, the FBI confirmed it executed search warrants at Taylor City Hall and at a vacation home owned by Sollars in Cement City, which is south of Jackson, saying the investigation is in regards to public corruption.
Sollars met with the media outside after the raid, saying he didn't see the raid coming but was cooperating with authorities.
Sollars called Taylor a "political hotbed" and said the city has always had its detractors. "My track record speaks for itself and we worked really hard to get to this point, we will continue to work hard as we move forward and I think the residents that support me understand what I'm capable of and where my heart's at."
He was released following Thursday's proceedings on a $10,000 personal bond.
As the investigation continues, anyone who believes they have information about public corruption in Taylor or otherwise is urged to contact the FBI at 313-965-4545 or tips.fbi.gov.
"Any time an allegation of corruption is brought to our attention, the FBI's Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force will investigate it thoroughly. Public corruption at any level undermines the community's faith in their elected officials and does long-term damage to government institutions," said Steven D'Antuono, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the FBI.
