Party store owner pleads guilty in Taylor mayor bribery scandal

A party store owner and developer accused of letting Taylor Mayor Rick Sollars (R) cash campaign checks at his store in exchange for money and scratch-off lottery tickets pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to commit bribery with the mayor, the city's development manager and another developer.

Hadir Altoon, 49, who owns the Taylor party store Dominick’s Market along with two property development companies, pleaded guilty three weeks after being charged, said Saima Mohsin, acting United States Attorney.

Altoon of Farmington Hills faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but sentencing guidelines means it's likely Altoon will face a sentence ranging between 27-33 months and a fine up to $250,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

The guilty plea is the second conviction in an alleged conspiracy in a city redevelopment program that has led to criminal charges against Sollars and his campaign treasurer, Taylor community development manager Jeffrey Baum.

Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2021/10/27/party-store-owner-pleads-guilty-taylor-mayor-bribery-scandal/8556510002/

The Taylor mayor is scheduled to go to trial in January.