Federal prosecutors plan to retry D.C. Councilmember Trayon White on bribery charges and may add new counts through a superseding indictment.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia told a federal judge it would move forward with the case weeks after a Sept. 28 mistrial, WUSA9 reported. Prosecutors said a new grand jury would be called and a new charging document could replace the original single-count bribery indictment against the Ward 8 councilmember.

That means White could face additional charges beyond the one bribery count he was tried on in September.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro defended the decision at a separate news conference. "No, he took the cash, let a jury decide," Pirro said, according to WUSA9.

Defense calls retrial 'fundamentally outrageous'

White's lead defense attorney, Gary Kohlman, called Pirro's decision "fundamentally outrageous" and told the judge he believes there is evidence of discrimination, arguing his client is being targeted because of race, according to WUSA9. During the hearing, Kohlman said he does not believe Pirro would seek a retrial if the councilmember were white.

Pirro rejected the accusation, saying she does not care about the councilmember's race and that her office cares about the people of the District, according to WUSA9.

Kohlman also told the judge he believes the retrial would leave White defenseless. He said another trial would be too expensive for White and suggested the councilmember would likely need a new legal team, WUSA9 reported.

White spoke to reporters afterward. He did not respond to questions about the cash he accepted or whether he believed he was being racially targeted by prosecutors, according to WUSA9.

What the case is about

White was originally charged with a single bribery count following an FBI investigation. Prosecutors alleged he accepted $35,000 in cash as part of a $156,000 bribery scheme in exchange for using his political influence to steer government contracts worth millions of dollars to Allieu Kamara's company, according to WUSA9 and the Washington Post.

Kamara, an FBI informant, allowed the bureau to set up covert cameras in his car. The FBI recorded White accepting cash on four occasions in 2024, WUSA9 reported. White admitted accepting the money but said he never intended to do anything in return.

Multiple former and current D.C. officials testified during the trial that White never pressured them about Kamara's contracts, according to WUSA9.

Jury split and mistrial

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras declared the mistrial on Sept. 28 after jurors deliberated for more than three days. The jury sent a final note saying further discussions had only "cemented" their views, the Washington Post reported.

Kohlman confirmed the jury voted 9-3 in favor of acquittal, according to the Post.

What's next

White's attorneys have filed motions to dismiss the case entirely. The judge has not ruled on those motions. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 to determine how both sides will proceed.