DETROIT – Michigan State Sen. Bert Johnson has been indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy and theft crimes.
Johnson, 43, of Highland Park, is accused of hiring a "ghost employee" with whom he allegedly conspired to pay off Johnson's personal loan debt.
From the U.S. Attorney's Office:
The two-count indictment charges that from approximately March 2014 through January 2015, Johnson, Jr., a Senator for the State of Michigan, conspired to commit theft, and did commit theft, of monies under the care, custody, and control of the State of Michigan.
According to the indictment, 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 indictment alleges that Johnson placed this “ghost employee” on the public payroll solely to pay off Johnson’s personal loan debt, and that the ghost employee was paid over $23,000 in taxpayer money.
If convicted, Johnson could face up to 10 years in prison.
VIEW: Indictment against Johnson
"Today’s indictment is an unfortunate reminder that public officials sometimes squander the public’s trust in exchange for personal gain", said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI. “Rooting out public corruption at all levels of government is an investigative priority of the FBI."
Johnson's Highland Park home was 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.
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