Salt Lake City School Board member Mohamed Baayd was indicted this week on felony bribery charges. Prosecutors allege Baayd tried to bribe his political opponent Russell Askren to withdraw from the race.
The first term Democrat from District 5 allegedly met with Askren on March 7th to discuss the election. Baayd is alleged to have told Askren of his intention to use the position on the school board to launch a campaign for “Council” and would persuade the School Board to appoint Askren as his replacement should Askren withdraw from the race.
Texts between Askren and Baayd show that Askren refused the quid-pro-quo and chose to continue his campaign.
Baayd won reelection November 5 with 64.2% of the over 11,000 votes cast. State Law does not have a mechanism for a School Board to remove elected members and Salt Lake City School District declined to comment on Baayd’s case. The bribery charge carries a potential sentence of zero to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Utah law does not prohibit convicted felons from holding office.
“I am entitled to the presumption of innocence under the Constitution,” Baayd said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune. “I look forward to my day in court and to continuing to serve the community to the best of my ability.”
Askren has chosen not to comment on the case.
The case is being prosecuted by the Utah Attorney General’s Office. School Board positions are paid $12,000 per year.