39 Indicted in Taxicab Bribery Scandal

By MYFOXDC STAFF/myfoxdc

Click to Read the  Indictment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The corruption probe involving the D.C. Taxicab industry widened considerably Friday with the indictment of 37 people– most of them cab drivers– all charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.

The FBI also raided the home of a former chairman of the D.C. Taxicab commission, searching it for several hours. It’s all connected to the arrest last week of D.C. City Councilman Jim Graham’s chief of staff.

According to the indictment, people in the taxicab industry filled shopping bags with cash and gave it to the current chairman of the D.C. Taxicab Commission– all of it in return for fraudulent taxicab licenses.

Around mid-morning Friday, FBI agents raided the home of Causten Toney, the former chairman of the commission. Agents spent more than three hours inside, leaving with several boxes.
Toney, a lawyer, is not named in the indictments and he was not taken into custody. No one answered the door in the minutes after the agents left.

By mid-day Friday, the FBI had in custody 27 of the 37 people under indictment.
Most of them are cabbies accused of conspiracy to commit bribery, handing over as much as $330,000 in cash to the current chairman of the Taxicab Commission, Leon Swain, who the government says was cooperating with the FBI, working undercover, accepting money in exchange for fraudulent licenses.

Click to Read the  Indictment

According to the indictment:

“On or about September 18, 2009, Yitbarek Syume gave the Chairperson approximately $51,000 in cash as partial payment for taxicab operator licenses that he and the other co-conspirators were attempting to obtain corruptly.”

Then,

“On or about September 21, 2009, Yitbarek Syume gave the Chairperson approximately $40,000 in cash as partial payment for taxicab operator licenses that he and the other co-conspirators were attempting to obtain corruptly.”

The probe went public last week when the chief of staff for Ward One Councilman Jim Graham was arrested and charged with accepting a bribe. Teddy Loza is accused of taking $1,500 in exchange for assistance in shaping taxicab legislation.

Late Friday afternoon, Jim Graham confirmed two of his staffers have received subpoenas to testify before the Grand Jury. FOX 5 asked Graham several questions about his involvement in the investigation.

FOX 5: “Have you been offered a bribe?”

Graham: “I have not received a bribe of any kind, I have not done anything illegal or unethical.”

FOX 5: “Have you been offered a bribe?”

Graham: “I am not the subject of any investigation.”

FOX 5: “Have you been offered a bribe?”

Graham: “That’s all I’m gonna say.”

FOX 5: “You won’t answer that question?”

Graham: “That’s all I’m going to say for now if you don’t mind.”

Jim Graham also would not say whether or not he has been recorded by the FBI on video or audio surveillance. The Ward One Councilman says he is not a target of the investigation.

According to the indictment, the Chairman of the Taxicab Commission has been cooperating with the government and accepting shopping bags filled with cash since 2007.

Why the FBI searched the home of the former chairman, Causten Toney, is still unclear.