| Gabe Leland | |
| Office1: | Member of the Detroit City Council from the 7th District |
| Term Start1: | 2013 |
| Term End1: | May 3, 2021 |
| Succeeded1: | Fred Durhal III (elect) |
| State House2: | Michigan |
| State2: | Michigan |
| District2: | 10th |
| Term Start2: | January 12, 2005 |
| Term End2: | January 13, 2010 |
| Preceded2: | Triette Reeves |
| Succeeded2: | Harvey Santana |
| Birth Date: | 28 September 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Alma Mater: | Central Michigan University |
Gabriel Leland (born September 28, 1982) is a convicted criminal and former Democratic politician from the state of Michigan. In 2004, Leland was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives, representing the 10th District, which is located in Wayne County and includes the farwest and partial northwest corner of the city of Detroit. Leland has served on the Detroit City Council from 2013 to 2021, when he resigned and pleaded guilty to misconduct in office.[1]
Gabriel Leland was born on September 28, 1982, to Burton and Rosanne Leland, a Jewish family from Northwest Detroit. At the time of his birth, his father was serving as Democratic State Representative, a position that he would hold until 1998, when he was elected to the Michigan State Senate where he served until he retired from the legislature due to term limits in 2006. Gabe and his older brother Zachary spent much of their childhood working on the campaigns of their father, serving as voter registration drive workers and walking door-to-door with their father.
Leland attended both East Lansing and Detroit Public Schools and graduated from East Lansing High School in 2001.[2] He attended Kehillat Israel Congregation in Lansing, MI while growing up.[3]
Leland graduated from Central Michigan University with a B.S. / community development concentration. He attends the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit.
In 2004, following in the footsteps of his father, Gabe Leland announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the 10th State House District in Detroit to succeed Triette E. Reeves, who was retiring due to term limits. However, Leland faced much opposition in the Democratic Primary. The 10th District is approximately 70% African American and several prominent African Americans ran against Leland in the primary, including future State Representative from the 9th District, Shanelle Jackson. The primary was competitive and often racially charged. Leland narrowly won the Primary with only 21% of the vote. He went on to easily win the General Election, as the 10th District is heavily Democratic.
In 2006, several people again challenged Leland in the Democratic Primary, including Stephanie Young, who was supported by former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Leland won the primary with 53% of the vote. He won the 2008 Democratic primary with 68% of the vote and no Republican ran against him in the 2008 General Election. Term limits prevent Leland from running for re-election in 2010.
On November 5, 2013, Leland won the newly created Detroit City Council seat in District 7. It was the narrowest victory in any of the council races, winning by only 50 votes.[4] [5] In 2017, Leland was re-elected with 56% of the vote.[6]
In July 2017, a Fox2 investigation revealed Gabe Leland has voted for, or extended, at least four contracts on behalf of Gasper Fiore. Fiore's daughter, Jennifer Fiore, has acknowledged that she dated Leland from late 2014 to early 2017. She is also an attorney and executive in Fiore's companies. The contracts, or amendments, are valued at over two million dollars.
In addition to providing towing services, Gasper Fiore was also an executive in companies that leased property to the Detroit Police Department and removed snow from Detroit streets.
Fiore was among twenty defendants targeted in a public corruption investigation in Macomb County that targeted pay-to-play schemes, including one that took down the Rizzo trash empire. In May 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Gasper Fiore on bribery and fraud charges for paying a Clinton Township trustee to support a towing contract for Fiore's companies.[7]
In December 2017, the Detroit Free Press obtained wiretap transcripts that were accidentally unsealed in U.S. District Court. The transcripts were part of the FBI investigation against Gasper Fiore. According to court documents, the government had probable cause that Fiore and other targets, including Leland, were involved in several crimes, including: extortion, wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.[8]
On October 4, 2018, Leland was indicted on charges of two counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The charges stemmed from Leland's solicitation of bribes from local business owner Robert Carmack, in exchange for Leland's help in preventing or delaying the city's sale of a property Carmack owned.[9] According to Lawrence Garcia, of the City of Detroit Corporation Counsel, "Leland promised not to sell Carmack's property, located at 8124 Michigan Ave., if Carmack would give Leland $15,000 for his reelection campaign."[10] Carmack also claims Leland asked him to fix his secretary’s car for free.[11]
The indictment details several discussions Leland had with Carmack between May and August 2017, including a meeting at the Caucus Club, where Leland acknowledged receiving $7,500 cash.[12] At a May 2017 meeting, Leland told Carmack: "I should ask for 30 (thousand dollars) but I'm nice to you."[13]
After the request by Leland, Carmack went to the FBI for help who asked Carmack to wear a wire and pay Leland. While a camera was secretly recording, Carmack paid $7,500 to Leland campaign staffer, Elisa Grubbs. Leland allegedly confirmed the payment on tape.[14]
The indictment alleges that after Leland and Carmack discussed preventing the sale in exchange for $15,000, Leland cast the only vote during a June 2017 council committee meeting against placing the property sale on the City Council agenda. At the time of the vote, Leland was chairman of the committee.[15] Later, the indictment says, Leland discussed his ability to hold up the property sale during a telephone conversation with Carmack. "I held it up again. Yeah. Yeah, it stayed right, right in committee brother." Later in the conversation, Leland scolded Carmack: "You didn't show up to my fundraiser."[16]
According to the indictment, Carmack was uncomfortable about his dealings with Leland. Leland reassured Carmack of his loyalty, stating: "No, but you can f---in' trust me. That's all that matters."[17]
In spite of Carmack’s attempts to curry favor, Leland eventually put Carmack’s property on the city council agenda to sell it.[18]
The indictment also accuses Leland of conspiring with Grubbs, who was charged for her role in the alleged scheme.[19]
If convicted of the charges, Leland faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each bribery count and up to five years and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy count.
In March 2018, Robert Carmack filed a lawsuit against Leland in federal court for extortion.[20]