Ex-Detroit deputy police chief Celia Washington gets 1 year in prison for bribery

Former Deputy Detroit Police Chief Celia Washington, who rose up the ranks in male-dominated professions and earned the trust of top brass and powerful businessmen, was sentenced to one year in prison for bribery Wednesday.

After pleading through tears for leniency — saying she was humbled but not humiliated — Washington got a break as she faced two years in prison for her crime: pocketing a $4,000 bribe from towing magnate Gasper Fiore in exchange for helping him with towing rotations.

Washington, who is also an attorney, maintained to the end that she didn't know it was a bribe but instead thought it was a loan from a friend. She didn't realize until later, she said, that Fiore was using her for favors.

"I was trusting and that was a mistake," Washington told the judge. "I've been portrayed to be something that I'm not, but I'm profoundly remorseful."

As Washington spoke in the packed courtroom, with about 30 of her relatives and friends in attendance, several women wiped away tears. Her college-age daughter sobbed on her boyfriend's shoulder as she listened to her mother talk about her commitment to work, family and her mistakes.

"At the end of the day, your honor, I could have used a good dose of humility," Washington said of her missteps.

In handing down his sentence, U.S. District Judge David Lawson expressed concern with Washington's actions given the corruption that Detroit has dealt with in recent history.

"In the wake of the horrible chapter of the city's history, it seems to me that those in high positions of authority would want to act like 'Caesar's Wife,' " Lawson said. "What happened here is a violation of the public trust."

Lawson concluded that a "substantial penalty" was in order for Washington's action, but that she deserved some leniency for "a life well lived."

The sentence was half of what prosecutors had pushed for as they had argued Washington was a lying schemer who used her position to pull favors for towing firms who were lining her pockets with cash, a free car, free oil changes, free engine repair and a bar tab for her birthday party.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bullotta lambasted Washington at her sentencing hearing, calling her a chronic liar who refuses to own up to what she has done.

"What is really troubling is how Ms. Washington continues to try to downplay her role. It's ridiculous and clearly rebutted by the wiretap evidence" said Bullotta, who was equally miffed at Washington's insistence that she did not oversee the towing rotations or have the authority to change them.

"It's funny ... all the towing owners seemed to think she did," said Bullotta, who argued that Washington repeatedly accepted perks from towers.

"She time and time again accepted things of value from people she knew were trying to gain influence with her," Bullotta said, adding: "What's worse is how she's handling this."

Washington pleaded guilty to bribery in January, admitting she accepted $4,000 in cash from Fiore, who prosecutors say also gave her a free car and covered her 2016 bar tab at her birthday party.

But there was more.

According to court documents, Washington accepted bribes from multiple towing operators who were seeking favors, including $2,400 in free engine repairs, free oil changes, and a $2,700 loan to help her buy her home, a free car, and an $800 bar tab from her 2016 birthday party. But she was charged only for the $4,000 cash she got from Fiore, who wanted help getting a better spot on the towing rotation.

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FBI wiretaps reveal how towing titan Fiore built his empire

Washington, who oversaw the Detroit Police Department's towing rotations, knew better, prosecutors argued. She had the power to affect at least four towing companies controlled by Fiore, prosecutors said, and she abused it.

Following her indictment, Washington adamantly denied conspiring with Fiore and taking a bribe from him, telling the Free Press: "It's absolutely untrue. I am livid ... I did not accept a bribe."

As a deputy police chief and legal adviser to Chief James Craig, her responsibilities included overseeing the DPD's permitting, licensing, and use of private towing companies.

Washington resigned from her police job in June after top brass learned she was under investigation for her alleged ties to Fiore, who pleaded guilty to bribing a Macomb County official on Dec. 20. He faces up to five years in prison.

Washington and Fiore were targeted in a broader corruption scandal that has so far ensnared 20 individuals, of which 15 have pleaded guilty.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas