This story has been updated to include new information.
A former executive assistant to the former Inkster mayor, who recently was sentenced to federal prison in a bribery scheme, pleaded guilty in connection to the bribery probe.
In U.S. District Court in Detroit, Saif Alsenad pleaded guilty on Sept. 24 to making false statements or representations to a department or agency of the United States. His plea agreement was taken under advisement, and sentencing is set for Jan. 14, according to federal court records.
Alsenad could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to the plea agreement.
“Saif Alsenad is a highly involved and beloved member of the community with many supporters. He applied for the job with Inkster after he was encouraged to do so by his pastor, though he did not know Mayor (Patrick) Wimberly personally,” Alsenad’s attorney, R. Michael Bullotta, said in an email to the Free Press after the hearing.
More: Former Inkster mayor sentenced to two years in prison in federal bribery scheme
“In his initial interview with the FBI when they knocked on his door, Mr. Alsenad did not provide all relevant information that was incriminating of Mayor Wimberly. However, Mr. Alsenad was not aware of Mayor Wimberly’s corrupt intentions until after Wimberly’s prosecution. Even the government has acknowledged that Mr. Alsenad had no financial interest or benefit in the payments demanded by Wimberly.”
Alsenad was charged Aug. 14 in an information in federal court. He resigned as director of government and public affairs for Wayne County on Aug. 4. His name was included in a federal prosecutor’s sentencing memorandum in the case against Wimberly, a document that was filed Aug. 5 with the federal court.
Alsenad’s plea agreement said Wimberly was elected in 2019 and hired Alsenad as his executive assistant. In summer 2022, a local investor met with Alsenad to inquire about buying a vacant, city-owned property.
Alsenad told the investor that Wimberly expected a payment of $100,000 from the investor to obtain the property. The investor introduced Wimberly to another person, who wanted to buy the parcel, according to the plea agreement. Wimberly demanded $100,000 in cash bribe payments from the person and in exchange, he promised to help the person attain the necessary approvals to acquire the parcel.
Wimberly accepted cash bribes ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 from Nov. 18, 2022, through April 4, 2023, totaling $50,000. FBI agents interviewed Alsenad on Oct. 7, 2024, and he told them that when he worked for Wimberly he “never saw anything weird,” according to the plea agreement.
Alsenad said “even considering Wimberly’s indictment for bribery, none of Wimberly’s actions stood out to (Alsenad) as questionable,” according to the filing. It said that Alsenad admitted that he purposely concealed his knowledge of Wimberly’s request for a $100,000 payment from the person in relation to the parcel during the FBI interview.
Alsenad did not benefit financially from the bribes, according to the plea agreement.
In August, Wimberly, 51, was sentenced to two years in prison in the probe that federal prosecutors said involved transfers of money at a strip club, a Detroit bar and the driveway of his home.
Wimberly served as mayor until 2023. He was indicted in fall 2023, weeks before the general election, where Inkster voters opted not to reelect him.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-aide to former Inkster mayor pleads in federal bribery probe