During four secretly recorded meetings, White agreed to accept a total of $156,000 in bribes in exchange for using his office to pressure the agencies into extending Life Deeds’ contracts.

Following the indictment, the council paid the law firm of Latham and Watkins $400,000 to conduct its own investigation, a probe that found “substantial evidence” that White violated the legislative body’s code of conduct. His transgressions included using the prestige of his office for private gain, accepting a gift from a person with city contracts and acting in ways that could undermine public confidence in the D.C. government.

At the same time, the law firm’s investigation did not find evidence that White persuaded agency officials to extend Kamara’s contracts. Officials at the agencies told investigators that White inquired about the contracts and Life Deeds’ performance, but that he never offered to bribe them or attempted to exert undue pressure.