Related Federal Cases
Ruel Hamilton, Bribery, Texas 2022
A Dallas real estate developer has been convicted of bribing two former Dallas City Council members, Carolyn Davis and Dwaine Caraway.
Ruel Hamilton, the president of AmeriSouth Realty Group, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy and two counts of bribery of an agent of a local government receiving federal funds.
The crime took place from 2013 to 2015, with Hamilton shelling out tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to Carolyn Davis, who was then serving as chair of the city’s Housing Committee.
In return, Davis supported Hamilton’s Royal Crest housing project, voting to authorize a real estate development loan and resolutions supporting an award of a 9 percent tax credit for Royal Crest.
The scheme was uncovered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which stated that the people of Dallas deserve true public servants, not those bought and paid for by the city’s elite.
According to evidence presented at trial, Hamilton paid Davis directly and through a not-for-profit intermediary run by Jeremy “Jay” Scroggins, who testified that he cashed thousands of dollars’ worth of checks, solicited by Davis and made out to him personally or to his not-for-profit, “Hip Hop Government.”
Hamilton also paid Davis in excess of $145,000 after she left the council, and promised her a job once she was off the council.
The conviction was vacated by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on August 23, 2022, but the case is ongoing. The full extent of Hamilton’s sentence and outcome is currently unknown.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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