Detroit City Councilman Andre Spivey was charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit bribery after allegedly accepting $1,000 from an undercover law enforcement agent in October 2018, with the indictment alleging Spivey and another public official accepted more than $35,000 in payments to influence votes concerning the towing industry, according to Detroit News and Crain's Detroit Business. The charges were part of Operation Northern Hook, the FBI's broader investigation of towing corruption in Detroit.
Operator takeaway
An FBI undercover agent paid $1,000 to a city councilman to influence towing votes — Operation Northern Hook proved that towing corruption investigations reach the highest levels of city government, and the takedown starts with a single cash payment.