MGM Casino Records Tied to DC Councilman Bribery Case

Posted on: October 17, 2025, 10:24h. 

Last updated on: October 17, 2025, 10:40h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Prosecutors move to admit MGM casino records as evidence
  • Trayon White is accused of taking $156K in cash bribes
  • Councilmember expelled, then re-elected amid ongoing bribery case

Federal prosecutors in Washington DC are seeking court approval to introduce a huge cache of MGM Resorts International casino records in an ongoing bribery case against DC Councilmember Trayon White.

Trayon White bribery, MGM casino records, D.C. Council corruption, FBI investigation, political scandal
Trayon White, pictured shortly after his expulsion from the DC Council, the consequence of his federal indictment for bribery. (Image: Getty)

White is accused of agreeing to accept $156K in cash payments from an unnamed city contractor in return for using his position as a councilmember to obtain city-funded violence-intervention contracts.

Federal investigators documented meetings, text exchanges, and cash drop-offs, some recorded on video.

The contractor is referred to in court filings as “CHS 1.” He is a local businessman and a cooperating witness in the case against White, who pleaded guilty in October 2024 to defrauding a pandemic-era loan program and bribery.

White was arrested on Aug. 18, 2024. He denies the allegations and is expected to argue that he was set up by the FBI.

767 Pages

The MGM documents are included in a list of files, including banking records and financial disclosures, which prosecutors want permission to submit as evidence. The gambling records span 767 pages and relate to White’s alleged activities at one MGM property.

While the casino isn’t named in the filing, Maryland’s MGM National Harbor is 20 minutes south of central Washington.

We know motive isn’t an element of the crime and it’s certainly something that jurors want to know, and the government can introduce these documents if they show motive,” former federal prosecutor Myanmar Ramani told WUSA9. “So, if someone has a gambling problem or gambling debts, maybe they’re more prone to accepting bribes.”

Ramani added that the sheer volume of documents was striking and suggested the gambling activity recorded within must be “extensive or certainly frequent.”

Comeback King

On Feb. 4, 2025, the DC Council voted unanimously to expel White from his Ward 8 seat, citing both the federal bribery charges and an internal ethics report. He was the first DC councilmember ever to be expelled from office.

However, he was still legally eligible to run for office because he hadn’t been convicted of a felony. In July, he decided to stand in the special election to fill his own vacant seat, winning decisively. He was sworn back into office on Aug. 8, 2025, less than six months after his expulsion.

White’s trial is scheduled for January 2026.