DETROIT – Michigan State Sen. Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park) is accused of of hiring a "ghost employee" with whom he allegedly conspired to pay off his personal loan debt.
Johnson faces an indictment from a federal grand jury which charges him with conspiracy and theft crimes.
Recommended Videos
The U.S. Attorney's Office said between March 2014 and January 2015 Johnson borrowed thousands of dollars in cash from an unnamed co-conspirator, and later placed that co-conspirator on the public payroll as a member of his staff, "knowing that the co-conspirator was a 'ghost employee' who contributed no work on behalf of Johnson’s staff." The ghost employee allegedly was paid more than $23,000 in taxpayer money.
Johnson's Highland Park home and Lansing office were raided by FBI agents and Michigan State Police troopers in March. In an interview with Local 4 after the raid, he was adamant that he had done nothing wrong.
"(I was) very surprised and even disappointed," Johnson said. "Had they called, we would have been willing to meet with them and turn over any documents they may have been looking for."
Johnson is a two-term Second District senator. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Sign up for ClickOnDetroit breaking news alerts and email newsletters