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Former Melissa mayor indicted for extortion
Photo Courtesy of YouTube - David Dorman, former mayor of Melissa, was indicted Wednesday for extortion for his alleged role in a 2007 bribery scheme involving land annexation.
By Chris Beattie, cbeattie@starlocalnews.com
Two Collin County men including a former Melissa mayor were indicted this week in connection with a bribery scheme, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced Thursday.
David E. Dorman, 66, of Melissa, has been charged with extortion, while John Christie, 65, of Frisco, has been charged with misprision of a felony - not reporting to authorities a felony he knew was taking place. A federal grand jury named them in an indictment handed down Wednesday.
According to the indictment, in 2007, Dorman, then mayor of Melissa, took a $70,000 bribe from Christie in exchange for arranging for Melissa to annex a portion of land from the city of McKinney so Christie could develop and sell the land to potential customers.
"Mr. Dorman will plead not guilty and will vigorously fight this charge," said Dorman's attorney Barry Sorrels.
Dorman, who ran his own global textile and apparel-sourcing company, Dorman and Company, from the 1980s until he retired in 2004, first got into public service as a Melissa City Council member in 1999. He served as the city's mayor until May 2009.
Around the time of the alleged bribery scheme, in 2007, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Collin County, for which Dorman still serves on the board, gave him the "Voice of the Children" award. That same year, the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center named him "Child Advocate of the Year."
Last August, Dorman announced he would run to replace Joe Jaynes in the Precinct 3 seat on the Collin County Commissioners Court, referencing then that Melissa had grown from 700 people when he moved there to almost 5,000 by the time he finished as mayor.
"I am retired, so this move is all about my commitment to the community," he said after announcing his candidacy. "We have to have champions on the court who demand accountability."
His vigor for the court seat was short-lived, though, as Dorman dropped out of the race before it started.
The Collin County Business Journal once named Dorman as one of 21 people to lead the county into the 21st century, but he may not get that chance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
"We are looking forward to our day in court and our constitutionally guaranteed right to have a jury hear our side of the story," Sorrels said. "Until then, it's important to reserve judgment and keep an open mind until all of the facts come out through the legal process."
Christie faces up to three years in federal prison for his alleged role in the scheme.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shamoil T. Shipchandler.
-Bill Conrad contributed to this report.
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