Macomb Twp. Politician Gets 20 Months in Prison For Corruption

DETROIT (AP) — A former public official in suburban Detroit has been sentenced to 20 months in prison on federal charges of demanding and taking bribes in exchange for using his position to get a company a trash-hauling contract.

The sentence handed down Tuesday to 44-year-old former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas also includes two years of supervised release following his prison term.

Freitas pleaded guilty last year.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said Freitas accepted $42,500 in bribes from the company for his help in getting it the contract.

Federal prosecutors have won more than a dozen convictions in the corruption investigation.