Felix Nelson Ayala, 58, right, of Rockville, with his wife, Maria E. Ayala, as he walked from federal courthouse in Greenbelt on Feb. 1, 2017. (Arelis Hernández/The Washington Post)

A Rockville accountant accused of bribing a Prince George’s County council member to secure thousands in taxpayer dollars says statements he made to investigators should be thrown out because FBI agents lied to him about why they were interviewing him, according to court filings from his attorney.

Felix Nelson Ayala, 58, was indicted on a federal bribery charge and one charge of making a false statement after the government accused him of paying former Prince George’s County Council member William A. Campos (D) $15,000 from 2012 to 2015 in exchange for $75,000 in government funds directed to a nonprofit organization that Ayala founded. Campos also served as a state delegate but resigned from the position in September 2015, nine months into the job.

Ayala has pleaded not guilty to each charge.

[Rockville accountant accused of bribing Prince George’s lawmaker]

Ayala attorney Rick Finci said in court filings that his client’s statements to investigators were involuntary and were collected in violation of his constitutional rights. Finci argued that the statements should not be included in the case against Ayala.

“The agents lied to the [office] receptionist about the purpose of their visit,” Ayala’s attorney wrote in a motion to the court about the January day that FBI agents visited Ayala’s offices. “They informed her that they were conducting a background investigation into William Campos for the purpose of federal employment and needed to speak to the Defendant as a reference.”

Ayala agreed to speak to the agents in connection with the background investigation, but eventually the agents began asking Ayala questions about the allegations against Ayala himself, “revealing the true purpose of their visit to him.”

Ayala twice asked for an attorney, but the agents continued to interview him, his attorney said in filings.

Prosecutors have not filed a response in court to Ayala’s assertions and declined to comment on the matter.

[Former Md. State Del. Will Campos pleads guilty to accepting bribes for official favors]

The case against Ayala stems from a wider federal corruption investigation into state lawmakers, the Prince George’s County liquor board and local business owners.

Campos, 42, pleaded guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges in January, admitting that he accepted payments while serving on the county council to direct government money to those who bribed him, court documents state. Campos’s sentencing is scheduled for August.

Last month, former Maryland delegate Michael Vaughn (D-Prince George’s) was indicted by a federal grand jury on allegations that he accepted more than $10,000 in cash from local business owners in exchange for favorable action on liquor sales legislation.

A trial date has not been set for Ayala.