Former Dallas councilman Dwaine Caraway sentenced to 56 months for taking bribes
Former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway was sentenced to 56 months Friday for taking more than $450,000 in bribes and kickbacks for six years.
He pleaded guilty in August to tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
On Friday afternoon, he stood before U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn for his part in a conspiracy that implicated numerous Dallas officials. At about 3:30 p.m., he was given a sentence of a little over four and a half years, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA.
The judge also ordered him to pay $482,000 in restitution, WFAA reported.
“This case should serve as a warning to public officials across North Texas: If you betray the trust of your constituents, we will prosecute you,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox in a statement. “We’ll prosecute the bribe payers. And we’ll prosecute those who attempt to conceal bribe payments. Anyone who fosters a kickback culture, prioritizing financial interest ahead of constituent rights, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
On Aug. 8, Caraway said in his resignation letter he was ”truly sorry that I must end my career as an elected official because I betrayed the public’s trust that I worked so very hard to earn.”
Caraway took payments from the president of a company that puts cameras on school buses. Robert Carl Leonard Jr., president of Force Multiplier Solutions (FXS), made illegal payments to Caraway from 2011 to 2017, federal agents said.
The payments came in the form of fully funded trips to New Orleans, Austin and Las Vegas, security cameras for Caraway’s house, funeral expenses for Caraway’s family members, casino chips, a campaign bus and gambling money for the horse track.
In exchange, Caraway would vote in favor of FXS’s program in Dallas County schools and support Leonard’s efforts to develop and profit from low-income housing, according to charging documents.
However, prosecutors said the program wasted tens of millions in taxpayer money, WFAA reported.
Leonard also admitted to paying Rick Sorrells, former Dallas County school superintendent, more than $3 million in bribes and kickbacks. Leonard paid about $3.5 million to Dallas officials in bribes and kickbacks, according to federal charges.
Sorrells has pleaded guilty to a federal charge for his involvement in the case and is awaiting sentencing on Sept. 14.
Leonard also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Former Dallas councilman Dwaine Caraway sentenced to 56 months for taking bribes."
