John Wiley Price, courtesy of Fox 4 News via YouTubeFBI agents arrested Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price Friday in a high-profile public corruption investigation in which Commissioner Price is accused of taking more than $1.1 million.
The indictment against him alleges that Kathy Nealy, a Dallas political consultant and long-time associate, bribed Price to sway votes before the Dallas County Commissioners, the Dallas Morning News reporte.
Authorities allege that Price threw his support behind Hillwood, an industrial, commercial and residential real estate developer owned by H. Ross Perot.
Hillwood hired Nealy to lobby for its project.
Authorities subpoenaed Hillwood in 2011 and called Hillwood representatives to testify before a grand jury.
The indictment accuses Price of taking $950,000 in cars, cash and land from Nealy.
No one at Hillwood has been accused of wrongdoing. Its officials have said they are cooperating with investigators.
Price and Nealy each face 16 counts of bribery, mail and tax fraud.
Dapheny Fain, Price’s assistant in his county commission district, faces one count of tax fraud and one count of lying to a federal agent. A fourth defendant, Christian Campbell, faces one count of bribery.
All four pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Friday.
“Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty, not guilty!” Price said to reporters outside the federal courthouse. “I’m going back to work.”
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Julie DiMauro is the executive editor of FCPA Blog and can be reached here.
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