Congressman John Conyer's Wife, Monica Conyers Pleads Guilty to Bribery

City Councilwoman Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to bribery charges Friday, becoming the latest Detroit politician taken down by scandal and marking a victory for federal prosecutors in their nearly two-year investigation into city corruption.

Conyers, the wife of powerful Democratic Rep. John Conyers who won her seat in 2005 largely on her popular husband's name, admitted in federal court to taking cash from a Houston-based company in exchange for her vote on a city sludge-treatment contract.

The normally fiery 44-year-old Monica Conyers spoke quietly while entering her plea in federal court, and left the courthouse without commenting to reporters, free on bond. She faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she's sentenced. Her lawyer, Steve Fishman, said he will ask Judge Avern Cohn for a sentence that doesn't include prison time.

Monica Conyers' plea is the latest blow to a city beset by political scandal in recent years. Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and a top aide were jailed after admitting to lying under oath about their romantic involvement during a whistle-blowers' trial.

Prosecutors made clear that John Conyers, the 80-year-old chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, knew nothing of his wife's corruption. He declined to answer a reporter's questions as he walked to the House floor for a vote Friday morning, saying, "I have no comment whatever."

City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said city attorneys were looking into whether Monica Conyers will lose her seat on the board immediately, or whether that will happen after she's sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg said Monica Conyers admitted to "a pattern of conduct of accepting bribes," but the plea agreement does not specify how much money was involved.

Prosecutors said she accepted two payments in late 2007 from a Synagro Technologies official, Rayford Jackson, in exchange for supporting a 20-year, $47 million-a-year, contract that November to have Synagro recycle wastewater sludge and build a modern incinerator in a poor Detroit neighborhood.

The council voted 5-4 to approve the contract with Conyers' vote. It was rescinded in January amid the accusations of wrongdoing.

Monica Conyers is the most prominent person snagged in the Synagro investigation. Jackson and the company's Michigan representative, Jim Rosendall, also have pleaded guilty to bribery charges in the case.

"It's a very sad day for Detroit," said Cockrel. "On the other hand, I think it's another step in clearing out some problems in city government. I don't necessarily think this is over. This may go beyond one council member and may involve nonelected officials."

Like the brash Kilpatrick, Monica Conyers took a defiant stance as the Synagro bribery accusations swirled around her, the council and city. She refused to address the accusations in recent weeks, and was often contentious with colleagues and the media.