Rizzo tries convincing feds he worked with FBI before corruption indictment

A central figure in the Macomb County public corruption case is asking AT&T to turn over his old phone records.

Charles Rizzo Jr. says those records contain key information even the government isn't aware of.  Federal investigators say Chuck Rizzo tried telling the FBI about corruption in Macomb County much earlier than they realized.

FOX 2 cameras were there when Charles Rizzo Jr. or "Chuck" as his friends and the people he bribed call him, left the federal court house in Port Huron last month. Cameras are not allowed in federal court, so we can't show you Rizzo pleading guilty to bribing public officials like former Macomb Township trustee Clifford Freitas.

Rizzo is facing up to 10 years in federal prison. He is hoping cooperating with the feds will get him a lower sentence. Now he claims he has been cooperating with the feds even before the FBI approached him back in Jan. of 2016. That's when they told Rizzo they knew he was bribing local officials to support giving municipal contracts to Rizzo Environmental Services.

Rizzo's attorney filed a motion this week in federal court claiming that his old phone records will show he voluntarily told the FBI about dirty deals several years ago. The lawyer says the feds told him the FBI has no record of Rizzo contacting agents back in 2011.

Getting the phone records are part of Rizzo's bid to get the shortest prison sentence possible. His attorney says the phone records will help prove Rizzo has been cooperating with the government even more than the feds realize.

Rizzo had to subpoena his own phone records from so long ago because the phone company will not give them to him without a judge's order.