Federal prosecutors want former Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly to spend more than three years in prison for demanding bribes, according to a court filing Tuesday that provides new details about why the mayor’s former aide is expected to be charged with a crime.
The government’s sentencing memorandum describes a pay-to-play culture within City Hall during Wimberly’s tenure from 2019-23, strip club shakedowns, envelopes stuffed with cash and bribes hand-delivered to the corrupt mayor’s home that totaled $50,000 before the Wayne County politician was arrested and charged in October 2023. The memo quotes Wimberly, 51, during meetings and payoffs, suggesting the government used secret recording equipment while investigating the mayor.
Wimberly is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Linda Parker on Aug. 14. He is the latest public official in Metro Detroit to be convicted of wrongdoing during a years-long crackdown on corruption, bribery and racketeering that has led to charges against more than 120 politicians, labor leaders, bureaucrats, police officers and school officials, including two former UAW presidents and ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick…