(WXYZ) — A former Detroit Transportation Corporation official and a Detroit businessman are facing federal bribery charges related to the alleged theft of more than $300,000.
According to an indictment in federal court, Michael Norman Anderson and Terrence Parker are each charged with federal program theft or bribery and conspiracy.
According to the indictment, Norman worked as the strategic sourcing and procurement director for the Detroit Transportation Corporation, which operates the Detroit People Mover, from March 28, 2022, through April 25, 2025. He was fired in April for conduct unrelated to the criminal investigation.
The feds say that in his role, Anderson would review proposals and help choose vendors to perform work for the DTC, then sign off on invoices to verify the work was completed.
According to the indictment, between Feb. 14, 2023, and March 11, 2025, the DTC paid $304,911.67 on 23 invoices from a company called Total Care Restoration (TCR), which is owned and operated by Parker. TCR performs restoration work on homes damaged by fire, water, windstorms or other elements, the feds say.
Federal investigators say that 22 of the 23 invoices submitted by TCR were for IT work, despite TCR never submitting a bid proposal or signing a contract with the DTC.
"On four invoices, dated between January 5, 2023, and April 5, 2023, TCR billed the DTC for monitor repairs at DTC’s main control facility. Anderson signed all of the invoices. The DTC has no record of TCR performing any monitor repair work of any sort. The DTC issued four checks totaling $15,800 payable to TCR. Parker deposited the checks into TCR’s bank account," the indictment reads. "Anderson procured and managed IT contracts with a number of companies while he worked for the DTC. Many of TCR’s invoices to the DTC described work that had in fact been contracted to three of those IT companies. Representatives from all three companies stated that they did not subcontract or assign any work to TCR."
According to the indictment, Anderson and Parker had communicated either the day before, the day of or the day after 20 of the 23 checks were issued from the DTC to TCR. Parker also deposited DTC checks into his TCR business bank account, then withdrew a portion of the deposit in cash, according to the feds.
On the day of or within a week of Parker's withdrawals, the feds say that Anderson many times deposited cash into his bank account.
"For example, on August 16, 2024, Parker deposited a DTC check for $23,934 and he withdrew $18,000 cash. Anderson made cash deposits into his account the same day and over the next several days in the following amounts: August 16 ($1,500); August 16 ($1,300); August 19 ($1,000); August 19 ($700); and August 20 ($1,850)," the feds say in the indictment.
