Temple Hills Woman Gets Probation for Bribery of MPD Clerk

Washington – A Maryland woman has been sentenced to five years of probation, including six months of home confinement, after admitting she paid more than $6,500 in bribes to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employee. Michelle Cage, 46, of Temple Hills, Md., pleaded guilty in November 2020 for her role in the bribery scheme.

Cage was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Emmett G. Sullivan and must complete 100 hours of community service during her probationary period. The investigation revealed that Cage worked to connect individuals needing legal or medical services with providers, obtaining confidential traffic crash reports from the MPD to identify potential clients. However, when General Order 401.03 restricted access to these reports, Cage began paying bribes to an MPD clerk.

According to the government’s evidence, beginning in 2015, Cage paid $50 to $200 per week to the clerk to obtain the confidential reports. She used this information to contact and solicit potential clients for her referral services through MC Referrals and Marketing L.L.C. Cage’s scheme spanned from 2012 until at least 2017.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and MPD Chief Robert J. Contee III commended the investigative efforts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, MPD’s Internal Affairs Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

The sentence was a result of a thorough investigation by these agencies, which led to Cage’s conviction for bribery of a public official. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua S. Rothstein and Veronica Sanchez were instrumental in handling the case.