Farmington Hills Developer Sentenced in Taylor Bribery Conspiracy with Prison Time, Fine, and House Arrest

Haidir Altoon, a 52-year-old developer from Farmington Hills, was sentenced to one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, including six months of house arrest. He was also fined $10,000 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service for his role in a bribery scheme involving the former mayor of Taylor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced the sentence, joined by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. The case revolved around the City of Taylor’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) program, meant to earmark tax-foreclosed properties for development by selected developers. Succumbing to the corrupt influence, Altoon, who owns Dominick’s Market, admitted to giving bribes to Sollars and to cashing fraudulent checks purportedly issued for nonexistent catering services to Sollars’s campaign, which in reality, Sollars pocketed for his own personal use.

Altoon’s troubles started with a routine meeting at Sollars’ market, where he showed interest in the ROFR program. Sollars then asked Altoon to create fake invoices, which allowed cash to flow from the campaign to Sollars under the guise of legitimacy. The scheme netted Sollars $70,362.98 from this and other fraudulent activities tied to his campaign account.

The investigation revealed that Altoon played a role in influencing Jeffrey Baum, who managed the ROFR program, without City Council approval. In exchange for bribes, Baum helped Altoon acquire nine properties through the program. “This case should send a message to anyone who seeks to do business with local municipalities that giving into the corrupt demands of public officials does not pay.  My office will aggressively prosecute and hold accountable both the bribe payer, as well as the bribe receiver, since any exchange of bribes deny the citizens of this district the honest services they expect and deserve,” Ison said as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office release.

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