Former Taylor Mayor Bribed by Developer with Cash and Renovations
- Shady Awad bribed former Taylor Mayor Richard Sollars with cash and home renovations from 2016 to 2018.
- In exchange for the bribes, Sollars endorsed Awad's acquisition of city tax-foreclosed properties meant for redevelopment.
- The conviction serves as a warning against public corruption and the consequences of bribery in local government.
In the United States, a real estate developer named Shady Awad was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for bribing Richard Sollars, the former mayor of Taylor, Michigan. Between 2016 and 2018, Awad provided Sollars with various forms of bribes such as cash, home renovations, appliances, and other valuable items. In return, Sollars endorsed Awad's acquisition of properties from the city’s Right of First Refusal program, designed to enable the redevelopment of tax-foreclosed properties. This corrupt exchange undermined the intended purpose of the redevelopment program, which was meant to benefit the community and its residents. The case was investigated by the FBI's Detroit Area Corruption Task Force, which aims to combat corruption among public officials. Following the conviction, U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison emphasized the importance of holding both bribers and corrupt officials accountable for their actions, aiming to deter similar conduct in the future.