Jury Convicts Clinton Twp. Trustee of Corruption and Bribery

(AP) — A Macomb County official accused of taking bribes from a trash hauler has been convicted of corruption.

It took jurors only about an hour Thursday to reach a verdict in the case against Dean Reynolds, who was a trustee in Macomb County's Clinton Township. Federal prosecutors have racked up more than a dozen guilty pleas in the investigation, but Reynolds was the first defendant to choose a trial.

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Defense attorney Steve Rabaut (RAY'-bo) acknowledged that Reynolds received money from Chuck Rizzo. But he told jurors that checks had "loan" written on them.

Prosecutor Michael Bullotta says it simply was a way to disguise a bribe.

Another prosecutor, David Gardey, described Reynolds as a "shakedown artist." The trial was held in Port Huron federal court.

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