A suburban Detroit 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.
Defense attorney Steve Rabaut 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.