Former Wayne Co. official pleads guilty to bribery, will cooperate with feds

One of Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano’s top deputies has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes.

Tahir Kazmi was Ficano’s former Chief Information Technology Officer. He admitted in court that he took bribes in the form of cash, plane tickets and other perks from a Wayne County contractor. In exchange, Kazmi gave the company preferential treatment on county jobs.

He also admitted to obstructing justice during the FBI investigation into his crimes.

In return for his guilty plea, Kazmi has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing federal investigation into Wayne County corruption.

Kazmi is one of several former Wayne County employees who face federal indictments for alleged corrupt activities. But he’s the first to plead guilty, and to offer to cooperate with authorities.