Latest news with #MichiganHouse
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Michigan House Speaker and wife heading to trial on embezzlement charges
Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (left) and his wife Stephanie Chatfield (right) stand at the first day of their preliminary exams as the couple face multiple charges related to embezzlement on Feb. 26, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife were bound over for trial on embezzlement felonies and other criminal charges Friday, after an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General's Office found the pair funneled money from their political nonprofit to fund their personal purchases. Ingham County Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt heard arguments from the defense for Lee and Stephanie Chatfield and the Michigan Attorney General's Office in February, determining this week that there was probable cause for the charges and the case should proceed to trial. The Michigan Attorney General's Office contends that through investigatory efforts by authorities beginning in 2021, it was discovered that the Chatfields had for years used nonprofit money to reimburse themselves for purchases at souvenir shops at Universal Studios during a family trip, transactions at retail stores like Coach and expenses at a strip club, amongst other expenditures. The Chatfields' attorney Mary Chartier has asserted that the charges brought against the former House Speaker, a prominent Republican in Michigan who raised millions of dollars while he was Speaker, are rooted in the political agenda for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat. The investigation into Lee Chatfield began back in December 2021, when his sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield, reported to police in Lansing that he had sexually assaulted her for years, starting when she was 14 or 15 years old. Michigan State Police opened an investigation into the report, also looking into financial behavior, which was later taken over by Nessel's office which did not find sufficient evidence to pursue charges for criminal sexual conduct. Lee Chatfield faces 13 felony counts of crimes related to conducting a criminal enterprise, conspiracy and embezzlement, while his wife faces two felony counts. Nessel released a news statement Friday expressing gratitude that the efforts of her office led to the case moving forward to trial after a long investigation period and legal process. 'Our investigation uncovered extensive evidence of elaborate schemes to embezzle and misappropriate private and public funds to bankroll Lee Chatfield's lifestyle during his time as Speaker of the House,' Nessel said in the statement. 'My office will continue to pursue public corruption with every tool at our disposal and push for stronger transparency and good governance in our state.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-Speaker Lee Chatfield, wife to stand trial over alleged misuse of political money
Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife will stand trial over the alleged mishandling of thousands of dollars raised through political funds, a district judge ruled May 30. Chatfield, a Levering Republican who held the most powerful position in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2019 and 2020, faces 13 embezzlement, conspiracy and larceny charges. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office claims he knowingly used money from political funds to pay for vacations, dinners at upscale restaurants and other non-permitted items when he was a lawmaker. Prosecutors also claim Chatfield submitted mileage reimbursement requests from the House for trips he did not take. His wife, Stephanie Chatfield, is charged with two counts of felony embezzlement. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges. A preliminary exam for both Lee and Stephanie Chatfield was held in February. In a 20-page opinion published May 30, East Lansing 54B District Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt ruled there is enough evidence to send them to a jury trial. Unlike at trial, where prosecutors must prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard of evidence at a preliminary exam is to establish probable cause that a crime may have occurred. Hennessey Greenwalt denied a motion from prosecutors to include an additional larceny charge against Lee Chatfield. She wrote that there is not enough evidence Lee Chatfield took money from associates, including his brothers and a childhood friend who worked on his state House campaigns, without their approval. The Chatfields are set to be back in court June 11 for an arraignment hearing in Ingham County 30th Circuit Court. 'Our investigation uncovered extensive evidence of elaborate schemes to embezzle and misappropriate private and public funds to bankroll Lee Chatfield's lifestyle during his time as Speaker of the House,' Nessel said in a statement. 'I am glad to see this case finally move forward to a trial in circuit court. My office will continue to pursue public corruption with every tool at our disposal and push for stronger transparency and good governance in our state.' At the center of the charges against the former Speaker and his wife are a series of political nonprofits Lee Chatfield used to raise money. For politicians, a 501c(4) fund can be advantageous because the organizations are subject to fewer public disclosure requirements and contribution limits than traditional candidate committees, allowing for greater fundraising and less scrutiny. Lee Chatfield was considered a proficient fundraiser for his political causes. He raised "millions and millions" of dollars with the funds, his attorney Mary Chartier said at the conclusion of his preliminary exam in February. Though 501c(4) social welfare funds are allowed to pay for certain political causes, Nessel's office alleges the Chatfields used the funds to pay for things personal in nature. Witness testimony from the preliminary exam stated that one such fund controlled by Lee Chatfield, the Peninsula Fund, paid off nearly the entirety of a $153,000 credit card balance. A forensic accountant hired by prosecutors testified many of the purchases on the card didn't appear to line up with the Peninsula Fund's stated goals. Chartier argued that it was up to the law firm managing the fund, the Dykema firm in Lansing, to make sure the spending remained in compliance. The most serious charge Lee Chatfield faces carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, if convicted. Stephanie Chatfield's charges each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, if convicted. In Dec. 2021, Rebekah Chatfield, Lee Chatfield's sister-in-law, told Lansing police she had been sexually assaulted by Lee Chatfield from the time she was 15 years old and a student at the northern Michigan religious school where Lee Chatfield taught. She also reported misuse of campaign funds at the time, according to her court testimony in the case. Lee Chatfield has denied any sexual assault. Chartier previously said a years-long consensual affair took place between Lee Chatfield and Rebekah Chatfield when both were adults. Michigan State Police began investigating Lee Chatfield, and were later joined by Nessel's office in the investigation. When Nessel announced the financial charges against Lee and Stephanie Chatfield in April 2024, she said the investigation into the sexual assault allegations was closed without charges. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Speaker Chatfield, wife to stand trial over embezzlement charges
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Whitmer names roads, chips as her top priorities before she leaves office
MACKINAC ISLAND — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she wants to see Michigan secure a semiconductor plant by the end of 2026, calling it an issue she has advocated for at the federal level, during a May 29 speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference. "Being able to make chips top to bottom in America will allow us to stay on the cutting edge of AI. Whoever dominates this technology from design to production will dominate the 21st Century," Whitmer said. "This is an inter-generational investment that makes an entire region an economic magnet." Whitmer told business and political leaders attending the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual policy that she has been advocating for federal support to land such an advanced manufacturing project with President Donald Trump's administration. During her speech, she also laid out other policy goals she said would necessitate bipartisan cooperation. She reiterated her call for a sustainable, long-term plan for funding roads. "We're inching closer toward a deal," she said. The Michigan House has passed a road funding proposal but Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, has described it as a nonstarter, saying that a road funding plan needs to be developed in tandem with state budget negotiations. Whitmer also said she wants to tackle literacy among Michigan's children. Only a quarter of Michigan fourth graders can read proficiently, Whitmer said. "That's not acceptable," she said. "Knowing how to read is an ordinary superpower that we all deserve to have." Michigan Politics: Duggan's $4.5B education plan includes firing unsuccessful principals, superintendents Whitmer in her speech pointed to past bipartisan policies she has crafted with lawmakers as evidence that they can continue to bridge partisan divides. "We can do hard things," she said, adding that to succeed, state leaders must work across disagreements. "To find what you can do together, it's the harder path to take in the moment, but it's always the right now," she said. Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@ or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gov. Whitmer says roads and chips top priorities for Michigan
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
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Hall once again dodges commitment to finalize budget by deadline
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall leads a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson MACKINAC ISLAND – During a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 State budget by its legal deadline. For years lawmakers have worked to complete a budget prior to July 1, as required by state law, although failing to finish before the deadline carries no penalties. Hall has previously argued the Legislature's responsibility under the state constitution is to pass a budget before the new Fiscal Year begins on Oct. 1, telling reporters the budget might not be finalized until Sept. 30, a move both Senate Democrats and Republicans have criticized as irresponsible. After teasing several budget items in the House's plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 alongside fellow House Republicans, Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the budget before the deadline. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Well, we'll see. You know, I think we got to work through it,' Hall said when asked if he would commit to moving a budget out of the House before July. When pressed further, Hall criticized the Democratic-led Senate's $84.6 billion budget proposal, arguing the budget was not balanced, following reports from the May 16 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference which found lawmakers will have $320 million less in revenue than initially predicted, largely due to the impact of tariffs instituted by the Trump administration. While the House has yet to pass its own proposals, Hall told reporters its budget would be smaller than the budget passed last year, when Democrats controlled the chamber. He also promised a $12,000 per-pupil allowance in the House's education budget and $1 billion deposit in the state's rainy day fund. 'This is going to make a big impact in our local school districts across Michigan, allow them to hire more teachers, shrink class sizes, update textbooks, invest in technology, improve school safety, and also, with that $1 billion rainy day fund, we'll be able to prepare. If there's any problems in the future that'll be a good down payment toward addressing that,' Hall said In the state's higher education budget, Hall floated a $5,500 scholarship for every Michigan high school graduate attending a Michigan university or college which would be offered every year for up to four years. For community colleges, the state will offer students $2,750, Hall said. 'We look at some of the scholarships that are being offered by the government, and a lot of them are based on, not everyone gets them. Some of them are based on income, family income, things like that,' he said. 'We want our universities to be attracting and working to gain Michigan students. And so I think really taking some of these scholarships that exist, and turning them into something that every Michigan high school student will receive to help make college and universities more affordable, while also ensuring they go to a Michigan University is going to make a big difference there,' Hall said.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan lawmakers look to expand classes homeschoolers can take at public schools
Rep. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy) introduces House Bill 4330, which would allow homeschool students to take any course at public schools. Wortz, seated is flanked by Reps. Gina Johnsen (R-Portland) and William Bruck (R-Erie), two of the bill's cosponsors. | Photo from Michigan House Republicans Republican lawmakers in Michigan's state House are looking to expand the classes home-school students can take at public schools by repealing a state law against using state school aid to fund core educational classes. Michigan's state constitution states that no public funds can be appropriated to fund non-public schools, but state law permits non-public or homeschooled students to enroll in 'non-essential' courses at public school, excluding science, social studies, mathematics and English language arts. Rep. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy), joined by several Republican co-sponsors, has introduced House Bill 4330, that would eliminate restrictions on the kinds of classes public schools can receive state school aid for to provide classes to non-public school students. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Having done 13 years of homeschooling with her kids, including enrolling her kids into limited programming at public school once they reached high school, Wortz said there is a lot of benefit for homeschool parents to have the autonomy to tailor educational experiences to suit their children and family. 'This bill kind of allows for that freedom. If it's a homeschool family that still just wants to completely homeschool, they can continue to do that, but if it's a family who maybe they want their kid to have a math or science class, they can do that and then still continue to homeschool with the other options at home, and it just kind of enhances their opportunities,' Wortz said. In her own experience, living in a rural area where many homeschool families elect to send their kids to public school for high school, Wortz said the bill would allow families that already contribute to state taxes to better benefit from what those tax dollars are used for. As one of the handful of states that doesn't require families to register minor children for homeschool, Michigan doesn't have a count of how many homeschool students exist in the state, so an estimation on necessary increases to the school aid budget is something Wortz said she's looking into. Following a stark increase in homeschooling nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic and news stories in recent years outlining accounts of abuse behind closed doors when children didn't attend public schools, Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice asked the state Legislature last year to create a mandatory state registry for students outside of public school in the name of safety. 'The issue of 'missing children' is a national problem with potential negative consequences for too many children,' Rice wrote to the Legislature. 'Parents should be able to choose the best educational system for their children. However, there is a history in Michigan and across the nation of some children not receiving any education at all, in particularly egregious cases in abusive or neglected environments.' Currently, House Republicans' budget plans include diverting around $700 million annually in gas sales tax revenue that goes into the School Aid Fund, while backfilling the money for schools using the state's General Fund. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) said before this year's legislative session that funding for schools would be guaranteed as the gas tax revenue under the GOP plan would be used to repair the state's crumbling roads and infrastructure. But just as some families may start increasing their usage of public school programming, some might leave the full-time structure, Wortz said. With the option to attend math and science classes at a public school, Wortz argued that she would not have necessarily enrolled her own children in public school in high school. 'I didn't want to teach geometry, I didn't want to teach Algebra II or chemistry,' Wortz said.
