FBI Raids the Homes of Two Detroit City Council Members FBI Raids the Homes of Two Detroit City Council Members - Michigan Rising Action

FBI Raids the Homes of Two Detroit City Council Members

FBI Raids the Homes of Two Detroit City Council Members

August 27, 2021

Lansing, Mich., August 27, 2021 – Earlier this week the FBI raided the homes of Janeé Ayers and Scott Benson, sitting city council members for the city of Detroit. Benson’s Chief of Staff was also subject to the warrant. This news comes three weeks after fellow councilman Andre Spivey was charged with taking over $35,000 in bribes in exchange for influence and votes. The FBI’s search of Ayers’ and Benson’s homes appear to be related to the same case, involving Detroit towing operations. Detroit Free Press reports:

“On Wednesday afternoon, a parade of about 20 FBI agents — many carrying boxes loaded into SUVs — exited city hall. Meanwhile, more agents searched the homes of Councilman Scott Benson and Councilwoman Janeé Ayers. The FBI also searched the East English Village home of Benson’s chief of staff, Carol Banks.”

This is not the first time Councilwoman Ayers has found herself in the middle of a corruption case related to towing. Though no charges were filed against Ayers, the FBI did uncover a plan to quietly push money to her campaign five years ago. The Detroit News reported:

“Among the wiretapped calls from 2016 was an exchange between Fiore and a man identified as Nicholas Primus about secretly funneling money to Ayers to pay for advertising billboards. Federal agents did not list Ayers as a target of the wiretap investigation, and she has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Members of the Detroit City Council have been tied to corruption charges for years. With Detroit in the middle of a rejuvenation, many in the city are tired of the constant controversy and distractions coming from city hall. 

“For decades Detroit has been failed by greedy politicians only looking to line their own pockets,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Detroit needs leaders who are accountable to the people who elected them, not the highest bidder. Over the past two decades, the city council has been a stain on the community and the greatest inhibitor of Detroit’s great comeback. If Councilwoman Ayers and Councilman Benson were involved in this bribery scandal, they need to do the right thing now and resign.”

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