Ex-Detroit Metro Airport official convicted in $5M bribery scheme

A former metro Detroit airport official was convicted Wednesday of accepting more than $5 million in kickbacks from contractors.

Federal prosecutors say it’s one of the largest bribery cases in Michigan’s Eastern District.

James Warner, 52, of Commerce Township gasped as the verdict was read Wednesday in federal court. He was found guilty of bribery, conspiracy and other crimes.

The jury deliberated approximately three hours at the conclusion of the three-week trial before United States District Judge Victoria Roberts.

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Warner was an infrastructure manager at the agency that runs Detroit Metropolitan Airport, from 2010 through 2014. The indictment quotes him as telling a contractor that kickbacks were the “cost of doing business” at the airport.

The indictment says Warner once wrote a cash demand on a napkin, passed it to a contractor and then ate it.

Federal authorities seized about $4 million from Warner last year.

He faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. 

United States Attorney Matthew Schneider stated, “Today’s conviction reinforces our dedication to prosecuting corrupt public officials who put their own greed over the best interests of the public. This is certainly true here, where the defendant showed little concern for the infrastructure of our very own airport.”