DETROIT – State Sen. Bertram Johnson Jr. submitted his resignation after pleading guilty Friday to conspiracy and theft crimes.
According to authorities, from approximately March 2014 through January 2015, Johnson conspired to and committed theft of money under the care, custody and control of the State of Michigan.
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Court records said 44-year-old Johnson borrowed thousands of dollars in cash from an unnamed co-conspirator placed 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.
"This investigation and subsequent plea reinforces the FBI’s commitment to hold public officials accountable by exposing those who engage in criminal conduct at taxpayer expense," said Jeffery E. Peterson, acting special agent in charge of FBI Detroit. "We ask that anyone who has information regarding similar actions by any public official contact Detroit or their nearest FBI field office."
According to the indictment, Johnson placed this employee on the payroll to pay off Johnson’s personal loan debt. The employee was paid over $23,000 in taxpayer money.
"Public officials, especially those elected by the people, cannot treat the people’s money as their own," U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said. "The defendant in this case treated taxpayer money as his own, to repay his personal debt. Such an egregious abuse of power will not be tolerated."
Johnson faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Aug. 7.
"Senator Johnson made a conscious decision to violate the trust and confidence of the constituents that he was elected to represent," Manny J. Muriel, IRS Criminal Investigation special agent in charge, said. "As today’s guilty plea shows, IRS-CI, along with our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those who use fraud and deceit to line their pockets by stealing from our nation’s taxpayers accountable."