Former Congressional Candidate John Goci arrested on federal charges

(WXYZ) - A former candidate for the US Congress has been named in a federal criminal complaint saying he lied to federal  agents.

John Goci ran against John Conyers in the 13th District. He was defeated in the August 7 primary.

The charges relate to the federal case against Tomo Duhanaj , the owner of Bray's hamburgers who federal agents have charged with being a loan shark. 

When Duhanaj was pulled over and arrested in May, federal agents found two checks with the payee line left blank. According to federal documents one of the checks was from Goci in the amount of $2,700.

Federal documents also show agents found evidence showing loans made to Goci going back to February. These loans apparently were made with a 45% interest rate.

In a federal affidavit, agents say they interviewed Goci at a Starbucks in Westland on July 17. The affidavit says that during that interview Goci told them he was not aware of Duhanaj's arrest. He also told the agents that the check was for two payments of a personal loan he took out from Duhanaj.

Federal agents say that Goci told them the loan was financed by a man named Randy whose last name he couldn't spell and that's why the payee line was left blank. However, agents say Goci told them the loan was for 15% interest and that there were no terms for the loan.

According to the affidavit, an FBI forensic accountant was able to determine that both those statements were false.

In the affidavit the federal agents concluded that Goci lied about the interest rate to assist Duhanaj in concealing his loan shark operation.

Agents also say that Goci told them he had not been coached about what to say to law enforcement officials about his loan. However, the affidavit contains a transcription of an alleged conversation between Goci and Duhanaj about what he should say about the checks.

Goci has been arrested on the charges. However, it is not clear when he will appear in court.

He has issued the following statement about the arrest:

I intend to fully cooperate with the FBI throughout the course of their investigation and furthermore maintain my innocence regarding this matter and expect to be vindicated of the false allegations that are being made against me.