2 more Macomb County officials charged in Rizzo bribery case

A federal corruption probe in Macomb County centered on trash hauler Rizzo Environmental Services has ensnared two more politicians — a current New Haven village trustee who reportedly is a former Detroit transit police officer and a former village trustee, with documents alleging that they collectively took $16,000 in bribes.

The charges against Trustee Christopher Craigmiles and former Trustee Brett Harris bring to five the number of politicians in the county charged in the widespread probe.

Craigmiles, 43, of Lenox Township and Harris, 57, of New Haven were charged today in U.S. District Court in Detroit, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Craigmiles was a friend of Harris, according to one of the charging documents.

A woman who answered the phone at the number for the committee to elect Craigmiles said "no comment at this time. Thank you." Harris could not be reached for comment. Several other village officials, including President Chris Dilbert, could not be immediately reached.

According to a news release, "(Former Clinton Township Trustee Dean) Reynolds unwittingly introduced Harris to an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a consultant to a company that has contracts with various municipalities in southeast Michigan — referred to in the information as Company A. Reynolds told the undercover agent that Harris was a public official who would be willing to take bribes in exchange for his vote on a future contract with Company A."

It goes on to say: "After being introduced to the undercover agent by Reynolds, Harris accepted multiple bribes amounting to $11,000 in cash from the undercover agent in exchange for his vote as a trustee on a future contract between New Haven and Company A. In August 2016, Harris then introduced the undercover agent to Craigmiles. Harris identified Craigmiles as being another New Haven trustee who would accept bribes."

Craigmiles is accused of accepting a $5,000 cash bribe from the undercover FBI agent in August. He agreed to support a future contract for the company in exchange for the money.

According to the charging documents, Harris conspired with Craigmiles and Reynolds from March to August of 2016, with Reynolds introducing Harris to the undercover FBI agent March 31. Harris is accused of taking bribes four times — $2,000 each on March 31, April 27 and Aug. 19 and $5,000 on May 18.

Harris indicated that Craigmiles would accept a bribe and suggested at different times that it may take the form of cash or campaign assistance, according to the unsealed complaint against Craigmiles.

Harris said he would support the contract and that he needed the support of Craigmiles and that they needed to get him elected. For the $5,000 bribe, Harris said he would share some of the money with Craigmiles, but changed his mind and apparently didn't give him any, according to the complaint against Craigmiles.

There was even discussion about whether Craigmiles would take a bribe given that he was a former transit police officer. Harris told the undercover FBI employee that he's not "gonna say I got a hundred percent trust in nobody ..." later saying "I'm leading him." Harris said he tested Craigmiles by talking with him about "this other deal" about how marijuana growers want to operate in the village and what would be necessary to assist him, according to the court records.

They also state that on Aug. 3, Harris, Craigmiles and the undercover FBI employee met in the garage at Harris' house and the employee paid Craigmiles $5,000 in FBI funds in exchange for his vote on the contract with Company A. The undercover FBI employee talked about how the principal of the company, who was the subject of an FBI telephone wiretap, was confronted with evidence against him and is cooperating with the investigation, according to the documents.

The undercover FBI employee said the big concern was the bid coming up in 2018 or sooner and that whatever Harris could do for the principal "it's much appreciated." The undercover FBI employee also said that the principal wanted to steer away from the election, according to the complaint.

It states that the undercover FBI employee gave Craigmiles $5,000, but didn't give any money to Harris.

"Why, where's my (expletive)  money?" Harris said, according to the complaint.

The investigation included telephone wiretaps, consensual audio and video recordings by cooperative individuals, undercover operations, physical surveillance, telephone tracking warrants and subpoenas of financial records and documents.

Craigmiles was appointed to the village board and had to run in the election. He was the top vote-getter in the November trustee race, in which four people vied for three, four-year seats. Harris lost.

The charging documents don't name Rizzo Environmental Services, but the Free Press has learned from sources close to the investigation that Rizzo is the company involved.

GFL Environmental — the Canada-based company that bought Rizzo just weeks before the FBI disclosed its corruption investigation — issued this statement: "GFL Environmental USA Inc. does not currently contract waste hauling services for the Village of New Haven. Rizzo Environmental Services last served that municipality in October 2014 until the contract was awarded to another company after a competitive bidding process. Per the press release issued today by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, criminal complaints were filed as a result of an undercover investigation. No past or present employee of GFL Environmental USA Inc. is referred to in the charging documents and none were involved in the alleged incidents. GFL Environmental USA Inc. continues to cooperate with law enforcement officials in their investigations."

Rizzo Environmental Services, which had trash contracts in more than 50 communities across metro Detroit, has not been charged in the case. GFL is rebranding all of Rizzo's trucks and painting them lime green. Chuck Rizzo Jr., the former president and CEO of Rizzo, resigned from the company on Oct. 25 — the same day that a second politician was charged with taking bribes from Rizzo Environmental Services.

Craigmiles is charged with taking a bribe in exchange for his official acts in connection with a municipal contract. Harris was charged in a criminal information with accepting multiple bribes in exchange for a promise to support a future municipal contract for the village, according to a release. It also states that Harris is accused of conspiring with Craigmiles and Reynolds to engage in bribery last summer.

Reynolds, who lost a Clinton Township supervisor race in November, is one of three people already charged in the widespread probe. He was indicted on charges that he accepted bribes from Rizzo Environmental Services for helping Rizzo secure an $18-million contract extension. He also is charged with taking bribes from a second unnamed business that the FBI has long had its eye on.

Former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas and former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock are other two politicians who have been charged in the pay-to-play probe. Freitas worked for Rizzo while the company was trying to secure a garbage contract.

"Our elected officials must make decisions based on what is best for the people and our communities, not based on whether they are given cash,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in the release. “Elected officials who violate the public trust by accepting bribes must be arrested and prosecuted.”

David P. Gelios, special agent in charge of the Detroit FBI, agreed, saying "Today's announcement of public corruption charges, in the Village of New Haven, demonstrates the FBI's unyielding commitment to aggressively investigate public servants, past or present, who accept bribes in exchange for official actions. Illegal conduct as described today erodes the trust and confidence community members place in their elected officials and threatens the integrity of our system of governance."

Court appearances for Craigmiles and Harris will take place next week. If convicted, Craigmiles faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine while Harris faces up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.