Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
The former mayor of Inkster, Michigan, Patrick Wimberly, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to demanding $100,000 in bribes. The sentencing was delivered by United States District Judge Linda V. Parker and announced by U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
Wimberly, who served as mayor from 2019 through 2023, admitted last September to soliciting cash payments to facilitate the sale of a city-owned property known as “Parcel 1” to an outside party identified as “Person A.” Over several months in 2022, Person A provided Wimberly with monthly bribes starting at $5,000 and later increasing to $10,000 per month at Wimberly’s insistence. In total, $50,000 was paid before the FBI intervened and stopped the transfer of the property.
“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,” said US Attorney Gorgon.
Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), commented on the outcome: "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 investigation was led by the FBI’s Detroit Area Corruption Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton P. Brown prosecuted the case.
