David Dorman, the former mayor of Melissa, has been indicted on bribery and extortion charges.
According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2007 Dorman solicited a $70,000 bribe from John Christie in exchange for arranging the annexation of land from McKinney that Christie would then develop and sell.
Christie has been charged with misprision of a felony, or knowing a felony was taking place and not reporting it to authorities.
"Based on a letter from Dorman, the cities of Melissa and McKinney approved the annexation and in exchange, Christie made one $10,000 cash payment and two $10,000 payments by check to Dorman," the Department of Justice said in a news release Thursday.
Barry Sorrels, Dorman's attorney, said his client will plead not guilty and will vigorously fight the charge.
"We are looking forward to our day in court and our constitutionally guaranteed right to have a jury hear our side of the story. Until then, it’s important to reserve judgment and keep an open mind until all of the facts come out through the legal process," Sorrels said in a statement.
If convicted, Dorman, 66, faces up to 20 years in federal prison while Christie, 65, could see three years behind bars for his role in the scheme.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
