Ex-Wayne County appointee found guilty of forging records to hinder FBI probe
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 02/19/2013
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By: Ross Jones
DETROIT (WXYZ) - A former Wayne County appointee has been found guilty of two counts of obstruction of justice. Both counts carry up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
A jury agreed that receipts Allebban made on two separate dates were done to obstruct the FBI's probe into bribes accepted by his old boss, Information Technology Chief Tahir Kazmi. Kazmi pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last July.
Allebban was found not guilty of a charge that he conspired to obstruct justice along with former Kazmi, and a separate obstruction charge.
Allebban is the first to go to trial in the FBI's ongoing probe into county corruption.
The feds launched their investigation following a series of reports from the 7 Action News Investigators.
Federal prosecutors say Allebban's former information technology chief Tahir Kazmi organized a kickback scheme that netted him $70,000 in payoffs from a county contractor. When Kazmi knew he was caught, the U.S. attorney says Alleban tried to help him cover his tracks.
Back in July, Kazmi pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and is cooperating with the feds' probe into Ficano's administration. He's scheduled to be sentenced later on this month.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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