Bringing to an end a year-long conjecturing about her role in the Synagro sludge contract scandal, Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers quietly pleaded guilty to a bribery conspiracy charge, during a short hearing in US District Court on Friday.

Conyers confessed to have taken money from a Synagro Technologies' representative before her voting in support of a $1.2 billion sludge-hauling contract with the company in November 2007. The contract had come through as a result of a 5-to-4 Council vote.

The indictment released Friday cited two instances when Conyers received bribes - outside a recreation center and a McDonald's restaurant. The bribery payouts listed in the indictment, which followed an FBI probe, were made a week before prior to the aforesaid voting on the Synagro contact and a week after it.

The generally-energetic wife of influential US Representative John Conyers left the courtroom on personal bond, and refused to comment on the legal proceedings. She faces up to five years in prison.

A statement from John Conyers' Detroit office said: "This has been a trying time for the Conyers family and with hope and prayer they will make it through this. Public officials must expect to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards. With this in mind, Mr. Conyers wants to work towards helping his family and the city recover from this serious matter."