Federal prosecutors say they will retry Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White on bribery charges

Federal prosecutors told a judge on Thursday, Oct. 22, that they plan to try Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White Sr. a second time on bribery charges, after his first trial ended in a mistrial in September, according to NBC4, FOX 5 DC and The Washington Sun.

At the hearing in U.S. District Court, an assistant U.S. attorney said the government will go back to a grand jury to seek a superseding indictment, which could change or add charges, the Sun and NBC4 reported. A prosecutor told the court a new trial could begin in May at the earliest, the Sun reported.

The case so far

White was arrested by the FBI in August 2024. Prosecutors allege he agreed to accept more than $150,000 in exchange for pressuring city employees to extend District contracts for violence intervention programs, and that he took $35,000 in cash from an FBI informant. FOX 5 reported that authorities say the cash was handed over on four occasions and recorded.

The Council voted unanimously to expel White in February 2025. Ward 8 voters returned him to the seat in a special election that July.

The first trial ended when jurors could not reach a verdict after nearly four days of deliberation, NBC4 reported. White’s legal team has said the jury was split 9-3 in favor of acquittal. FOX 5 reported that the defense recently asked the judge to dismiss the case.

The two sides

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office is prosecuting the case, has said she intends to see it through. “We will retry this case and take every corruption case to verdict,” she said in a statement quoted by NBC4 and FOX 5.

White’s attorney, Gary Kohlman, argued that a second prosecution is meant to drain White’s ability to pay his current lawyers and leave him without an adequate defense, according to NBC4 and the Sun. Kohlman also said he believes race played a role; he told the court that prosecutors would not consider a retrial after a 9-3 split for acquittal if White were white, the Sun reported. Pirro called that claim absurd, according to the Sun. In her statement quoted by NBC4 and FOX 5, she also said the evidence, not accusations about race or motive, will decide the case.

During the first trial, the defense contended that White never seriously tried to carry out the alleged scheme and that the cash could have been viewed as political contributions, according to the Sun. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, White said he felt redeemed, but he declined to say what the $35,000 was for if not a bribe, NBC4 reported. He declined to comment to the Sun on the planned new indictment.

What happens next

Prosecutors must obtain the superseding indictment from a grand jury before a new trial date is set. The judge has not yet ruled publicly on the defense request to end the case, based on the reports reviewed by District Times. White remains in office representing Ward 8 while the case proceeds; his seat is not on the Nov. 3 ballot.