Taylor mayor pocketed campaign cash, lottery tickets in bribery scandal, feds say

Detroit — Federal prosecutors leveled new allegations Tuesday against Taylor Mayor Rick Sollars, accusing him of cashing campaign checks at a party store in exchange for cash and scratch-off lottery tickets while corrupting a city foreclosed property program.

The allegations were contained in a new criminal case against an alleged co-conspirator as prosecutors signaled that at least two people are expected to plead guilty in connection with the high-profile public corruption case.

Downriver real estate mogul Shady Awad, who is accused of bribing Sollars with free wood floors and a deck at his lake house, is scheduled to plead guilty later this month, according to a notice filed in court.

Awad, 41, of Allen Park has a plea hearing Oct. 22, almost two years after he was charged alongside Sollars in an alleged conspiracy involving bribes, luxury items and tax-foreclosed properties, as well as Jeffrey Baum, the Taylor community development manager.




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