Former FBI agent David Paitsel, 42, and D.C. real estate developer Brian Bailey, 53, have been sentenced to prison after being convicted on bribery and conspiracy charges. The sentencing took place in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. The charges were related to schemes involving confidential information held by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.
According to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Paitsel and Bailey led two parts of the scheme. Bailey was found guilty of bribing a program specialist at the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development in exchange for confidential Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) offer of sale notices. These notices contain non-public information, including the names of tenants residing at a property. The program specialist, Dawne Dorsey, had previously pleaded guilty to bribery in June 2019 and is awaiting sentencing next month.
In the second part of the scheme, both Paitsel and Bailey were found guilty of bribery and conspiracy. Bailey paid Paitsel in bribes to obtain contact information for tenants with TOPA rights. Paitsel, who had access to a database at the FBI, then passed along the information. The TOPA law grants tenants in the District of Columbia the right to purchase their residence if the owner decides to sell the property. Tenants can also assign their purchasing rights to a third party.
As a result of their convictions, Paitsel has been sentenced to two years in prison followed by two years of supervised release, along with a $100 special assessment and a $10,600 forfeiture money judgment. Bailey, on the other hand, has been sentenced to four years in prison followed by two years of supervised release, along with a $100 special assessment and a $250,000 fine.