Juan Scott, the head of the District of Columbia’s illegal construction unit, patted down his former government colleague and asked if he wore a recording device before they discussed the terms of a bribe, according to sources familiar with the federal investigation.

The disclosure represents the latest revelation from a probe into the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ division that has resulted in the conviction of a former DCRA engineer. Yaw Agipong, now in private business as a structural engineer, pleaded guilty earlier this month to trying to bribe a government official.