Rick Sollars
Sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR – Former Mayor Richard Sollars, 50, was sentenced to 71 months in prison for conspiring to accept bribes and engaging in wire fraud while he was in office.
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison made the announcement Oct. 22 with Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent In Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As mayor from 2016 to 2018, Sollars used his influence as mayor to recommend that the Taylor City Council use Shady Awad’s company, Realty Transition, to acquire tax-foreclosed properties for redevelopment, which the city acquired under the First Right of Refusal program, Ison said.
In return, Awad provided free home renovations and other items of value for his primary residence, his office and a vacation home.
The court found that Sollars received bribes totaling more than $85,000 from Awad.
In addition to home renovations, Sollars received a humidor, kitchen appliances, a washer and dryer, a Dyson vacuum, a camera and cash.
Sollars also defrauded campaign donors by using his campaign treasurer, Jeffrey Baum, to provide signed, blank checks, which Sollars made payable to Dominic’s Market, whose owner, Hadir Altoon, would cash for Sollars’ personal use, Ison said. Altoon prepared invoices for catering services that were never provided.
Ison said Sollars used his elected office to award city contracts and spend campaign funds for his own personal enrichment.
“Sollars’ conviction and sentence demonstrates my office’s commitment to ensuring that those elected officials who place their own greed above their duties to the citizens in the community will be held to answer for their breach of trust,” Ison said.
Gibson praised the work of the FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force, which worked in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan to convict Sollars.
“This betrayal of public trust is a stark reminder of the importance of integrity and accountability in public office,” she said. “We remain committed to upholding the principles of justice and transparency, ensuring that such actions do not go unpunished.”
Awad, 44, of Allen Park, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for his role in bribing Sollars.
Altoon was sentenced in 2021 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
Former Taylor Community Development Manager Baum, who served as Sollar’s campaign treasurer, pled guilty in late 2021 as part of an undisclosed plea deal.