Texas Mayor thinks his town is the new Crook County

PLANO, TX—Two Collin County, Texas men, including the former mayor of the city of Melissa, have been indicted in connection with a bribery scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.

David E. Dorman, 66, of Melissa, Texas, has been charged with extortion, while John Christie, 65, of Frisco, Texas, has been charged with misprision of a felony. The men were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Sep. 12, 2012.

According to the indictment, in 2007, Dorman, then mayor of the city of Melissa, solicited a $70,000 bribe from Christie in exchange for arranging for the city of Melissa to annex a portion of land from the city of McKinney, Texas, in order for Christie to develop and sell the land to potential customers. Based on a letter from Dorman, the cities of Melissa and McKinney approved the annexation and in exchange, Christie made one $10,000 cash payment and two $10,000 payments by check to Dorman.

If convicted, Dorman faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Christie faces up to three years in federal prison for his role in the scheme.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shamoil T. Shipchandler.

A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.