Indictment connects Monica Conyers to multiple cases of bribery, extortion

DETROIT — Details provided in the indictment of political consultant Sam Riddle suggest that he was the negotiator in multiple incidents of bribery and extortion for former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers. The indictment alleges that Conyers and Riddle had been conspiring for nearly two years to commit crimes.

The indictment alleges that Riddle “did knowingly and intentionally conspire with Monica Conyers and others to knowingly, willfully and unlawfully commit extortion.” The plea agreement Conyers accepted protects her from further indictments in the scandal according to her lawyer. Riddle, who turned down a plea bargain, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday and was released on a $10,000 bond.

Conyers pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bribery last month after she received cash for a vote to approve a waste disposal contract.

But according to the Riddle indictment, that wasn’t the only time she abused her political power for personal gains. The document lists four separate instances when Conyers and Riddle worked together to commit bribery and extortion with a variety of business entities.

First, the document alleges that Riddle and Conyers “exploited her position as a trustee to the General Retirement system” and sold her vote of approval to the owner of a technology company who sought a multi-million dollar investment from the retirement system.

The second incident involves a restaurant owner who Conyers and Riddle teamed up on to extort a consulting contract for Riddle, the indictment alleges. According the feds, the two used a “pressuring technique” to get the restaurant owner to offer Riddle “a large sum of money” for consulting work he never “performed nor contemplated.”

The third accuses Riddle and Conyers of accepting another “large sum” of money from a strip club representative in exchange for a vote from the former councilwoman to transfer the club’s license.

The fourth transaction involved money given to Riddle and Conyers by a real estate developer who sought funds from the city’s General Retirement System and needed a vote of approval from trustee Conyers.

The 27-page indictment spells out the crimes in detail, listing specific dialogue between Riddle, Conyers and parties of interest, presumably obtained through wiretaps.

According to the federal documents, one day after the technology company owner paid Riddle the last installment of the $25,000 sum for Conyers’ retirement trustee vote, Conyers wanted her cash. Riddle explained that she had to wait. “Bank says the thing will post overnight and be available first thing in the morning,” he told Conyers over the phone. “You know, it was just deposited yesterday afternoon.”