Highland Park, Mich. – The grimy realities of political intrigue have once again reared its head as State Senator Bertram Johnson Jr., 43, faces a federal indictment for conspiracy and theft charges.
The feds dropped the hammer today, with Acting United States Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch leading the charge, charging Johnson with siphoning off over $23,000 in taxpayers’ dollars through a scheme that involved a so-called ‘ghost employee’.
According to the indictment, Johnson, who served as a Senator for the State of Michigan from March 2014 to January 2015, borrowed thousands of dollars in cash and repaid it by placing an unnamed co-conspirator on his public payroll. This co-conspirator, the feds claim, was a ghost employee who never contributed a single hour of work to Johnson’s staff.
Lemisch spoke out against such public corruption, stating, “Theft of taxpayer’s money by elected public officials is disheartening and will not be tolerated.” The FBI and IRS-CI were also on the case, with Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios emphasizing that rooting out public corruption at all levels is a priority.
“Senator Johnson’s alleged actions are an abuse of trust,” said Manny Muriel of the IRS-Criminal Investigation. “These cases highlight our commitment to hold individuals accountable and ensure transparency.”
The Assistant United States Attorneys J. Michael Buckley and Frances Carlson will be prosecuting this case, with Johnson facing up to ten years in prison if convicted on all charges. As the investigation continues, the grimy truth behind this scandal is expected to unravel further.
Related Federal Cases
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- Lahai Charles Sentenced for Cisco Equipment Fraud · Michigan
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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