Macomb Township, Mich., Trustee Sentenced in Rizzo Pay-to-Play Scheme

Clifford Freitas, 45, was sentenced to a year and eight months in federal prison on Tuesday for taking bribes in exchange for helping a trash hauler win a $16 million government contract.

According to reports, Freitas, a former Macomb Township, Mich., trustee, is among 20 former elected officials and government contractors involved in pay-to-play schemes in Macomb County. Freitas initially pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in June 2017, admitting to tipping the scales of the contract bidding process in favor of Rizzo Environmental Services.

After Macomb Township issued a request for proposals in search of a waste hauling contractor in July 2015, Freitas was recorded in wiretapped communications sharing inside information with Rizzo, according to court records.

MLive Michigan has more:

A former Macomb Township Trustee was sentenced Tuesday to a year and eight months in federal prison for taking bribes in exchange for helping a trash hauler win a $16 million government contract.

Clifford Freitas, 45, is among 20 former elected officials and government contractors caught up in a federal investigation into pay-to-play schemes, primarily in Macomb County communities.

Freitas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in June 2017, admitting to tipping the scales of the contract bidding process in favor of Chuck Rizzo, owner of Rizzo Environmental Services. The firm won dozens of trash hauling contracts in Michigan communities before being sold to GFL Environmental in 2016.

Related:Father of Rizzo Environmental Services CEO Gets 90 Days

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