Promoter charged in alleged multi-million dollar wire fraud scheme

A West Bloomfield man has been federally charged with wire fraud in connection to a heavily marketed proposal to develop a sprawling youth sports and entertainment complex in Romulus. Federal authorities have filed a criminal complaint accusing Kenneth Wayne Bardwell of running a yearslong investment fraud scheme built around the proposed complex, which was dubbed the Motown Sports Village. The complaint alleges he raised millions from investors while spending large amounts on cash withdrawals, luxury purchases, jewelry and strip clubs instead of acquiring land for the project.