Ex-Detroit Deputy Police Chief Pleads Guilty In Corruption Case

DETROIT, MI – Former deputy Chief of Police Celia Washington has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bribery, announced acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch on Tuesday. Washington faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Washington, as a deputy police chief, oversaw the administration of the department's contracts with private towing companies. During a plea hearing on Tuesday, she acknowledged that she accepted $3,000 in cash from towing company owner Gasper Fiore.

Fiore in December pleaded guilty to bribing Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds for a towing contract in that jurisdiction.

Washington admitted in court that she knew that Fiore was using the bribe to win her influence and get favorable rotations for his towing companies. Police call private towing companies to tow away stolen cars or those that have been seized by police. When she accepted Fiore's money, she was aware that he was violating Detroit rules that prohibit a towing company owner from having more than one company in the rotation for a particular police precinct or district.

During the plea hearing, Washington at first said the money was a "loan" from Fiore, but then acknowledged that she kept the money and spent some of it even when she knew Fiore was seeking a bribe. Washington's guilty plea is the latest development in a string of corruption charges involving business and government officials that reaches from Detroit and into Macomb County.

"Washington’s crime was a serious breach of the public’s trust," said Lemisch. "The public must have every confidence that its police force is free of corruption and bribery."

Image via Shutterstock