The former mayor of Inkster, Michigan, Patrick Wimberly, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for demanding $100,000 in bribes. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Linda V. Parker. Wimberly, aged 51, pleaded guilty last September to the bribery charge.
According to federal authorities, Wimberly served as mayor from 2019 through 2023. In spring 2022, he demanded cash payments from an outside party referred to as “Person A” to facilitate the sale of a city-owned property known as “Parcel 1.” Over several months, Person A made monthly cash payments starting at $5,000. When these payments did not increase as discussed, Wimberly insisted on receiving “10 a month,” leading Person A to raise the monthly amount to $10,000. In total, $50,000 was paid before the FBI intervened and stopped the transfer of the property.
United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., who announced the sentencing along with Reuben Coleman of the FBI Detroit Field Office, commented: “We know that an honest leader gives stability to his city and one who is greedy for bribes tears it down. Mr. Wimberly dishonored his office so that he could line his pockets. And we will not let crooked politicians undermine our local government.”
Reuben Coleman added: “The sentencing of Patrick Wimberly, the former Mayor of the City of Inkster, sends a clear and powerful message that no one is above the law. Public Corruption erodes the very foundation of our democracy, and the FBI in Michigan remains steadfast in protecting our community from those who abuse positions of trust. I would like to thank the dedicated members from our FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force for their thorough investigative work, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for their successful prosecution of this case. The FBI will continue to investigate any allegations of criminal misconduct to ensure that justice is served, and the public’s trust is preserved.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit Area Corruption Task Force led the investigation into this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton P. Brown prosecuted it.
