Former Taylor Mayor Rick Solars sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in bribery case

On October 23, 2024By Yukito

Former Taylor Mayor Rick Sollars was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday to 71 months in prison after pleading guilty in a federal corruption investigation.

Sollars pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery relating to programs receiving federal funds and wire fraud. The sentencing memorandum calls for a sentence of 71 months in prison.

After serving his prison sentence and $10,000 fine, he will also serve three years on supervised release.

As part of his plea, Sollars pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds by accepting things of value for the purpose of influencing and rewarding business transactions related to the City of Taylor’s Right to Refuse program.

WATCH BELOW: Feds: Mayor Taylor took cash, lottery tickets as bribe

Feds: Mayor Taylor took cash and lottery tickets as bribe

Sollars is one of three people indicted by a federal grand jury in the case. The indictment charged Sollars, Shady Awad, businessman and owner of Realty Transition, and Jeffrey Baum, community development manager for the city of Taylor.

WATCH BELOW: Taylor’s mayor releases video defending himself in FBI investigation

Mayor Taylor releases video defending himself in FBI investigation

According to the indictment, Awada’s company, Realty Transition, was selected by Sollars to develop most of the properties subject to tax foreclosure under the city’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) program. The indictment shows that in 2015, Realty Transition was granted the right to develop all 95 properties in the city. In 2016, 29 out of 34 properties were awarded; in 2017, it was 38 out of 45 properties, and in 2018 – all 37 – according to the indictment.

Sollars had been under federal investigation for months, and he posted a lengthy video on his campaign’s Facebook page in which he claimed to be an innocent man whose life was turned upside down by the FBI.

As for the conspiracy to commit bribery, the indictment says Sollars accepted more than $30,000 to renovate the Sollars home, more than $11,000 to renovate the Sollars lakefront home, and more than $12,000 worth of appliances and cabinets , cash and other items from Awad, all with the intention of influencing and rewarding Sollars and Baum to enable Awad’s city business.

Most of the bribery allegations involved various things that happened between Awad, Sollars and Baum, including renovations to his home, installation of hardwood floors and much more.