June 23, 2010 - William Lattimore, 56, a former member of the Southfield City Council, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today based on his conviction for bribery, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. Joined in the announcement was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena.
Lattimore had previously pleaded guilty on August 6, 2009 to taking bribes in 2007 from co-defendants Samuel Riddle and Mary Waters. At his guilty plea hearing, Lattimore admitted to taking $12,500 in bribes from Riddle and Waters, who represented a Southfield jewelry store owner seeking city council approval to relocate his store in Southfield.
U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani imposed today’s sentence which also requires that Mr. Lattimore be placed on three years of supervised release once he completes his sentence of incarceration and also pay a fine of $12,500.
U.S. Attorney McQuade said, “By taking bribes in exchange for his vote as an elected official, Mr. Lattimore violated the public trust and corrupted the city government of Southfield. The conviction and prison sentence received by Mr. Lattimore demonstrate this office’s commitment to ending the corruption of local government in this district.”
Special Agent in Charge Arena stated, “Plain and simple William Lattimore sold his Southfield Council vote. This type of corruption erodes public confidence and undermines the strength of our democracy. The FBI's public corruption program is determined to prevent such abuse of public trust."
U.S. Attorney McQuade thanked the FBI for their assistance in the successful investigation of the case.
The case was investigated by agents of the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Cares, David A. Gardey, and Rita Foley.
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