Michael Lee Johnson, Assault and Strangulation, Michigan 2018

A federal jury in Detroit has convicted a Saginaw man of assaulting and strangling his then-girlfriend on the Isabella Indian Reservation in 2018.

The jury found Michael Lee Johnson, 45, guilty of several counts arising out of the assault, including unlawful imprisonment, assault of a dating partner by strangulation, assault of a dating partner by suffocation, domestic violence, and numerous instances of witness tampering.

The evidence at trial established that in October and November 2018, Johnson held the victim against her will, threatened to kill her, and assaulted her numerous times by strangulation, suffocation, and other means, sometimes in front of her children.

Jurors also found that Johnson attempted to improperly influence or prevent the victim from reporting the incident to the police and testifying in court. According to testimony at trial, Johnson contacted the victim over 100 times following his arrest.

The Isabella Indian Reservation is located in Mt. Pleasant, the primary land base of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Johnson’s sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. before United States District Judge Lin Parker.

The case was investigated by the Saginaw Chippewa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roy Kranz and Assistant United States Attorney Tim Turkelson.