Shady Awad (left) pleaded guilty of conspiring to commit bribery with Taylor Mayor Rick Sollars (right). Five days later, Hadir Altoon pleaded guilty to similar charges.
By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — Two people with ties to Mayor Rick Sollars pleaded guilty last week in federal court to conspiring to commit bribery.
Real estate developer Shady Awad, 41, of Allen Park, pleaded guilty Oct. 22 to conspiring with Sollars and Community Development Manager Jeffrey Baum, the U.S. Department of Justice announced..
Dominick’s Market owner and real estate developer Hadir Altoon, 49, of Farmington Hills, also pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to conspiring to commit bribery with Sollars, Baum and Awad, the Department of Justice announced.
Awad’s conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, Awad will likely face a guideline sentencing range of between 37 and 46 months of imprisonment and a maximum fine of up to $250,000, a Justice Department press release said. Sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2022.
Acting United States Attorney Saima Mohsin announced that Awad pleaded guilty to the charge after he gave Sollars cash, household appliances, free renovations to his primary home and lake house, and other items of value in connection with the city’s Right of First Refusal Program, designed to allow the city to acquire tax-foreclosed properties from Wayne County for redevelopment.
According to court records, between 2016 and 2018, Awad paid for improvements and renovations to Sollars’ home and lake house totaling over $50,000; provided his credit card information to another developer interested in acquiring tax-foreclosed properties under the ROFR Program and allowed that developer to charge over $19,000 to his credit cards, which the developer converted to cash and gave to Sollars; and, gave Sollars at least $4,000 in cash while Sollars gambled in Las Vegas, all in exchange for Sollars’ assistance in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties under the ROFR Program.
Awad also paid for the installation of hardwood flooring, garage doors, front doors as well as kitchen appliances, a Hall Tree bench and washer and dryer at Sollars’ home, the press release said.
He also paid for the installation of hardwood flooring and deck and railings refinishing at Sollars’ lake house, court records said. Between 2015 and 2018, Awad was awarded the vast majority of city’s tax-foreclosed properties in the ROFR Program.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.
Altoon’s count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Altoon could face a guideline sentencing range of between 27 and 33 months in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.
During his guilty plea hearing, Altoon admitted to paying bribes to Sollars by giving Sollars tens of thousands of dollars in cash, scratch-off lottery tickets, and other items of value, and facilitating the payment of bribes to Sollars by Shady Awad, in connection with the city’s ROFR program.
According to court records, between 2017 and 2019, Altoon paid and or facilitated the payment of over $80,000 in cash to Sollars and over $4,000 in cash payments and other items of value to Baum in exchange for Sollars’ and Baum’s assistance in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties under the ROFR program.
Altoon also conspired with Sollars to steal money from Sollars’ campaign fund by preparing false and inflated invoices for catering services that were never rendered, were prepared in amounts higher than the actual amount for the catering services provided, and were for catering services for which Altoon had already been paid by the city.
Court records said Altoon issued the false invoices to Sollars’ campaign fund and completed blank campaign fund checks, bearing Baum’s signature as treasurer of the campaign fund, in the amounts of the false invoices.
Altoon cashed the campaign checks based on the false invoices at his store and gave Sollars cash and scratch-off lottery tickets in the same amounts of the checks, totaling over $35,000.
Also, Altoon accepted checks made payable to Dominick’s Market, purportedly for catering services to Sollars’ campaign, from donors to Sollars’ campaign. He cashed the donors’ checks, totaling over $12,000 and gave Sollars cash and scratch-off lottery tickets in the total amounts of the checks.
Altoon facilitated Sollars’ bribery activities with Awad by accepting credit card information from Awad and charging over $19,000 to Awad’s credit cards, which Altoon converted to cash and gave to Sollars.
The court records said Altoon also converted blank money orders, totaling $3,000, into cash for Sollars and gave Baum $5,000 in cash for a Sollars campaign golf event. It was also part of the conspiracy that Altoon gave Baum gift cards and over $4,000 in cash.
In exchange for the cash and other items of value Altoon provided to Sollars and Baum, another developer transferred two properties and Awad transferred nine properties, that were originally transferred to that other developer and Awad, respectively under the ROFR program, to Altoon.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Court appearances for Sollars and Baum have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Sollars is seeking re-election as mayor through a write-in campaign in the November general election after not receiving enough votes in the primary election also through his write-in campaign.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)