DETROIT (WXYZ) — Former Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly has pleaded guilty to bribery for accepting thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the sale of city-owned property.
Wimberly, 50, served as the mayor of Inkster for 2019 through 2023 and was running for re-election when he was indicted on charges.
According to the feds, Wimberly demanded $100,000 in cash payments to facilitate the sale of city-owned property to an outside party called "person A."
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Over several months, according to the feds, the Person A provided Wimberly with monthly cash bribes to secure the purchase, starting at $5,000, with an agreement to increase the amount in bribes.
Eventually, those monthly payments increased to $10,000 in total, and in all, Person A provided Wimberly with $50,000 in cash.
The feds say the FBI intervened before the property could be transferred.
“Public officials who act in their own best interests, motivated by greed, betray the trust of their communities and the general public,” United States Attorney Dawn Ison said in a statement. “ We will continue to aggressively prosecute corrupt public officials for their illegal actions.”
Wimberly was indicted on the charges on Oct. 3, and addressed them in a Facebook Live on Oct. 11.
“Did I put myself in a situation that I should’ve never been involved with? Yes, I did. I take full responsibility for that," Wimberly said in the video. "I’m going to have to go through the process, but know that I’m standing here and I’m standing strong.”
**Correction: A previous version of this article had the incorrect name for the former mayor. We have since corrected the name and regret the error.
