Aradondo Haskins, Bribery Conspiracy, Michigan 2024

Aradondo Haskins, a former official of the City of Detroit Building Authority, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in a bribery conspiracy scheme that involved the city's demolition program.

Haskins, 48, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services fraud in connection with the Detroit Demolition Program. He was sentenced by the Honorable Victoria Roberts to serve 12 months in federal prison, followed by a two-year term of supervised release.

As part of his sentence, Haskins was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and to forfeit $26,500, which represents the bribes he took while employed by Adamo Group and the City of Detroit. The total amount of bribes taken by Haskins is approximately $32,000.

The bribery scheme involved Haskins accepting bribes from a contractor, identified as Contractor A, in exchange for providing confidential information about bids submitted by competitors. This allowed Contractor A to submit lower bids and secure lucrative contracts with the City of Detroit.

The scheme occurred while Haskins was employed by the City of Detroit Building Authority as a Field Operations Manager for its demolition program. The program was funded by the Hardest Hit Fund, a housing support program that allocated approximately $258,656,459 to the City of Detroit since October 7, 2013.

According to the plea agreement, Haskins accepted bribes from Contractor A on at least eight occasions while he worked at Adamo Group, totaling approximately $14,000. He also accepted bribes from Contractor A while employed by the City of Detroit, totaling approximately $11,500, and an additional $1,000 after his employment with the City.

The United States Treasury Department created the Blight Elimination Program, which focused on helping communities demolish vacant houses. The program was paid for through the Hardest Hit Fund, a housing support program intended to protect home values, preserve home ownership and promote economic growth.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-city-detroit-building-authority-official-sentenced-bribery-conspiracy-connection