Sentencing for White Delayed to January 2026; Court Awaits Hendricks’s Attorney on Next Steps

Sentencing for former Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White has been postponed until January 22, 2026, while the court considers motions for a new trial. The same date is expected for co-defendant contractor Benjamin Hendricks, though the court is still awaiting word from Hendricks’s attorney.

White and Hendricks were convicted in July of honest services wire fraud and bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds. The jury accepted testimony from key government witness David Whitaker, who said he funneled money through Hendricks to White in exchange for favorable treatment of his company’s bid for a security camera contract.

Attorneys for both defendants are now arguing that trial judge Mark Kearney overstepped his authority during deliberations. They claim that he gave jurors a definitive answer on a matter of fact that should have been left to them.

That argument was first raised formally on August 8, when White’s attorney, Clive Rivers, filed a motion seeking a new trial. Hendricks’s attorney, Darren John-Baptiste, filed to join the request. The motion asserted that “the trial judge invaded the province of the jury when it answered a question of fact although there was sufficient evidence to establish an inquiry that was for the jury to decide.” It further argued, “The existence and effect of certain communications presented a factual question that was decided by the trial court instead of the jury,” which attorneys say violated the rules of evidence.