A federal judge delayed the start of D.C. Council member Trayon White’s trial until the fall after his lawyers asked for more time to review evidence in the bribery case.
U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras granted the request during a Thursday court hearing and set a new trial date for Sept. 14.
Mr. White, 41, was scheduled to go to trial in late March — which was already a delay from his original trial date set for January — before Thursday’s status conference.
FBI agents arrested the Ward 8 council member in August 2024 after he was accused of pocketing wads of cash in exchange for influencing government contracts.
Charging documents said Mr. White agreed to take more than $150,000 in bribes to then direct government grants to his preferred anti-violence organizations.
Video and audio evidence gathered by prosecutors allegedly showed the councilman taking up to $35,000 in cash-stuffed envelopes from an FBI informant.
Mr. White pleaded not guilty and has maintained the FBI “set him up.”
The criminal charges motivated the council to unanimously remove Mr. White in February 2025, but since the councilman had not been convicted in the case, he could not be legally prevented from running for his Ward 8 seat again in a special election.
Mr. White won a competitive four-way race last summer, allowing him to continue representing a ward that is largely concentrated east of the Anacostia River and has generational issues with crime and poverty.
He has been serving on the D.C. Council since August, though he has not been assigned to any committees.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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