A minister and former engineer for the Wyandotte County Unified Government has been accused of taking more than $17,000 in bribes in return for street-repair contracts.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said a federal indictment was unsealed Thursday charging Willie D. Jones, 58, Kansas City, Kan., with three counts of accepting bribes and five counts of money laundering. He’s accused of routing some of the bribes through the bank account his church.

The indictment alleged Jones accepted three bribes — $6,740, $5,530 and $5,100 – from an individual who owned a company that obtained contracts to do street repairs for the Unified Government. It is alleged Jones routed the bribe money through his bank account and an account belonging to Paradise Missionary Baptist Church of Kansas City, where Jones was a minister.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each bribery count, and up to 20 years and a fine up to$250,000 on each money laundering count. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt is prosecuting.