Latest news with #DanaNessel
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Former youth soccer coach convicted of criminal sexual conduct in Lenawee County
A former youth soccer coach has been convicted of multiple criminal sexual conduct charges in Lenawee County, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office. Andrew Olnhausen, 38, of Texas, was a soccer coach with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, according to prosecutors, and is accused of having an "abusive sexual relationship" that began in 2016 when the victim was 12 years old and continued until the victim was 16. Olnhausen was charged after an investigation by Adrian police and was extradited from Texas to Michigan on the charges in 2022. On Tuesday, a jury convicted Olnhausen of four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes, five counts of child sexually abusive material, one count of using a computer to commit a crime, one count of distributing sexual material to a minor, and one count of the delinquency of a minor. "I am grateful to the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence, the Adrian Police Department for their investigative efforts, and the prosecutors in my office for their commitment to this case," said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a statement. "Above all, I commend the courage of the victim, whose decision to come forward after years of abuse made this outcome possible. My office will continue pursuing justice for sexual assault survivors, no matter how long it takes." Olnhausen will be sentenced on Sept. 5.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Doug Lloyd announces his candidacy for Michigan Attorney General
Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd, a Republican, has announced his candidacy for Michigan Attorney General in the 2026 election cycle. Lloyd made his announcement Tuesday on the podcast "The Right Side with Deb Drick" and the launch of his campaign website. "Michigan deserves an Attorney General who understands what it means to prosecute cases, lead with integrity, and make communities safer," his website states. Dana Nessel is finishing her second term as state attorney general and is unable to run for re-election due to term limits. A growing list of candidates is running for the seat, to include former U.S. Prosecutor Mark Totten, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and attorney Kevin Kijewski. Lloyd cited his 26 years of prosecutorial experience leading up to his current role as county prosecutor where he manages a staff of 25 working on a criminal case load of over 6,000 cases a year. Under his efforts, the Economic Crimes Unit in Eaton County recovered over $9 million for area businesses through diversion programs. His success in that area led to his appointment as special prosecutor for Ingham and Clinton counties on some of their financial and criminal diversion cases. "While others chase headlines or spend their days playing politics, I've been putting bad guys behind bars and working to make my community safer," said Lloyd, "Leading a prosecutor's office. Standing up for victims. Charging serious cases. Training young attorneys. And critically, working side by side with law enforcement to keep communities safe." Lloyd was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Organized Retail Fraud Advisory Board, selected by Secretary of State Ruth Johnson for the Insurance Fraud Task Force, and confirmed by the Michigan Legislature to serve on the State Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Prosecuting Attorneys Association as a Past President of the association and was a longtime board member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Eaton County. His community involvement includes Boy Scouts of America, National Eagle Scout Association, the Knights of Columbus and coaching in local youth sports leagues. He is a graduate of University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and earned his law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. Lloyd and his wife Mina, who is a recently retired assistant prosecuting attorney, live in Delta Township. They have two sons.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Michigan AG investigates overseas online ticket scheme targeting University of Michigan venue
The University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium has been the target of an alleged overseas online ticket resale scheme, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Nessel's office is investigating Pure Tonic Marketing Ltd., an overseas company that prosecutors believe is based in Seychelles, and the unknown operator of Ticket Squeeze. Prosecutors allege that Pure Tonic operated the website, which, while appearing to be affiliated with the university's venue, is not. The alleged scam website reportedly advertised tickets for upcoming events at Hill Auditorium and redirected users to where Nessel alleges that tickets were sold at "grossly excessive prices," while appearing to be at "cheaper" or "low" rates. University Musical Society, a nonprofit performing arts presenter affiliated with the university, first filed a complaint with Nessel's office. The nonprofit hosts performances at Hill Auditorium and sells tickets on its official website. In one instance, a customer, believing they were buying tickets from an official outlet, paid $1,263.95 for two tickets to a Berlin Philharmonic concert through the website, officials said. Those same tickets were reportedly listed for $175 apiece through the official University Musical Society website. Nessel says that while Hill Auditorium is the focus of the initial complaint, other venues may have been targeted by the alleged scheme. "Misleading customers into thinking they are purchasing tickets from a trusted source, while charging them excessively high prices is unlawful," said Nessel in a statement. "I appreciate the University Musical Society for bringing this matter to our attention. My office will continue to investigate and pursue bad actors to protect Michigan consumers from this kind of exploitation." Sara Billmann, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the University Musical Society, says the rise of ticket resellers purchasing tickets "solely for the purpose of making money off of unsuspecting customers has been a scourge in the performing arts industry." "In addition to the direct harm caused to customers by predatory secondary market pricing and absurdly high fees, nonprofit arts organizations are also seriously impacted, both financially and reputationally," Billmann said. "We are grateful to the Attorney General's office for taking these complaints seriously and for working so hard to protect consumers." The attorney general's office says that while the university won a domain dispute against Pure Tonic in 2024, which forces to redirect to the University Musical Society's official site, another website has sprouted up and is allegedly conducting the same practice. Nessel offers the following tips for consumers when buying tickets online: If you believe you are a victim of an online ticket scam, you're urged to reach out to Michigan's Consumer Protection Team at 517-335-7599. You can also fill out an online complaint form.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan AG Nessel pushes for change to how ICE officers operate in letter to Congress
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined other state attorneys general urging lawmakers to pass bills that would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from wearing masks to conceal their identity. On Tuesday, the attorneys general sent a letter to Congress after Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, as well as Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, introduced legislation requiring ICE officers to display visible ID during enforcement actions. Nessel says she feels it's only a matter of time before people impersonate ICE officers in Michigan. She says allowing officers to operate without clear uniforms, often fully masked, is dangerous not just for the public but for officers, too. "ICE is operating in a manner that is inconsistent from anything that I've seen in my over 30 years as either a prosecutor or a defense attorney," she said. "People don't know-- are these bad actors who are impersonating Ice that are perpetrating a kidnapping, uh, or are these actual law enforcement officers who should be complying with their directives and their orders?" She tells CBS News Detroit that she feels allowing ICE officers to operate without clear identifying insignia and guidelines that require officers to announce the agency they represent leads to dangerous and sometimes very heated situations for everyone involved. "In Michigan, in really all states, people have a right to self-defense," Nessel said. "Well, if you don't really know that, it's, you know, ICE, you know, you might pull out your firearm or you might use other means to try to defend and protect yourself. And that might be dangerous for law enforcement." She said prosecutors in her office deal with dangerous people daily-- and they don't cover their faces when they do their jobs. "There's ways to protect law enforcement officers if you're afraid they might get doxed. And there's a whole litany of ways that many law enforcement agencies operate, including mine, to protect their staff," Nessel said. Nessel encourages Michiganders to film interactions with ICE agents if they can and not pull over for unmarked cars.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Decision on trial now expected in September in Michigan 'fake electors' probe
A decision on whether a group of Michigan Republicans will go to trial on a series of election- and forgery-related charges connected to trying to transmit electoral votes for President Donald Trump in 2020 — despite his election loss in the state that year — is now expected in September, according to defense lawyers in the cases. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 before Ingham County 54A District Judge Kristen Simmons, who has overseen preliminary examinations for the 15 individuals charged by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office with signing documents attempting to turn over Michigan's electoral votes in 2020 to Trump. Prosecutors have argued the group knowingly tried to defraud voters, since former President Joe Biden won Michigan's election by around 154,000 votes in 2020. Defense attorneys have countered, saying the group was acting at the instruction of Trump campaign lawyers. Three defense attorneys: Mary Chartier, Michael Bullotta and Paul Stablein, told the Detroit Free Press on July 10 and July 11 that a ruling on whether government prosecutors have sufficiently provided enough evidence to send the cases to a jury trial is expected at the Sept. 9 hearing. Kimberly Bush, director of the Office of Public Information and Education within the attorney general's office, said over email the court hadn't specified the purpose of the hearing. On Dec. 14, 2020, as Democratic electors met in the Michigan Capitol to cast the state's electoral votes for Biden, a group of Michigan Republicans attempted to enter the building to cast votes for Trump, but was turned away by Michigan State Police. While the group was not able to enter the Capitol, the document its members signed was eventually transmitted to Congress and the National Archives as if Trump had won, according to testimony in the case, although the state's electoral votes were awarded to Biden. Nessel's office has argued the group knowingly intended to defraud voters in Michigan by trying to cast electoral votes for Trump, despite his election loss in the state in 2020. Charges were first announced in the probe in July 2023 and the final preliminary examination hearings in the case wrapped up in October 2024. Initially, 16 people were charged but Nessel's office dropped its case against James Renner in exchange for Renner testifying as a government witness. The other 15 individuals charged, which include former Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock and Republican National Committee member Kathy Berden, all have pleaded not guilty. During the preliminary examinations, defense attorneys argued their clients were acting at the instruction of attorneys for Trump's 2020 campaign. Unlike in other states where Trump campaign lawyers were charged by local prosecutors, no charges have been brought against Trump campaign lawyers in Michigan's fake elector probe. Renner, who took the stand as a government witness during preliminary exam hearings that took place last year, testified Trump campaign attorneys informed the group they were acting so that in the event that Michigan's election results were somehow flipped from Biden to Trump, there would be a mechanism for Trump to receive the state's electoral votes. Bullotta, a defense attorney representing Rose Rook, one of the defendants in the case, told the Free Press during a May interview that Renner's testimony indicates a lack of criminal intent from those charged in the case. "The evidence for my client is that she signed a single signature page without any words on it except her name and her signature, and other people's names," Bullotta said, echoing arguments made by the defense during the preliminary exams. "There was nothing else on there, she did not know she was representing herself as a duly elected elector or any such thing. She was told explicitly her signature was required as a contingency in the event that the election flipped to Trump." More: Feds charge another Chinese citizen with smuggling biological materials for lab work The forgery-related charges are each punishable by up to 14 years in prison, if convicted, and the election law forgery charges are each punishable by up to five years in prison, if convicted. Despite Biden's victory in Michigan and nationally in the 2020 election, Trump and his campaign allies spread baseless theories that the election was somehow stolen. Numerous election audits and lawsuits have found there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Trump won election back to the White House in 2024. 'The false electors' actions undermined the public's faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan,' Nessel said after charges were announced in July 2023. "My department has prosecuted numerous cases of election law violations throughout my tenure, and it would be malfeasance of the greatest magnitude if my department failed to act here in the face of overwhelming evidence of an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election.' More: Michigan Republicans cheer, Democrats jeer passage of Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill In the case, Nessel's office has charged: Maddock, Berden, Rook, William "Hank" Choate, Clifford Frost, Mayra Rodriguez, Marian Sheridan, Ken Thompson, Amy Facchinello, John Haggard, Mari-Ann Henry, Michele Lundgren, Stanley Grot, Timothy King and Kent Vanderwood. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Decision on trial appears closer in Michigan 'fake electors' probe
