Former Chesterfield Township supervisor indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges

Michael Lovelock, the former Chesterfield Township Supervisor, has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of demanding conspiracy and demanding bribes, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade announced on Thursday.

Lovelock, 57, was charged for his corrupt activity, which including demanding and accepting money in exchange for official acts as his role in supervisor.

According to the complaint, Lovelock accepted multiple bribes from the representative of a company that had "a significant contract with Chesterfield Township." It happened from around 2010 and continued through this year.

The complaint says Lovelock accepted over $30,000 in cash from a company representative. He also accepted two other bribes totaling $4,000 in cash from an undercover FBI agent.

In exchange for the bribes, the complaint says Lovelock agreed to use his job as supervisor to extend the contract of a company, put past due accounts of the company on tax rolls, get payment from Macomb County for the company because of its work on flood damage and give favorable reference for the company to other communities.

“Public officials who seek to take advantage of their official positions for their own personal gain by selling official acts should expect to be arrested and prosecuted." McQuade said in a release. “The citizens of our district deserve elected representatives who make decisions based on the best interests of the community rather than their own corrupt financial interests.”

Lovelock appeared in federal court in Detroit on Thursday afternoon. He was released on bond after the appearance. 

The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into systematic corruption in Macomb County. So far, Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds and Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas have been arrested for bribery.

Both arrests have dealt with Rizzo Environmental Services. The complaint against Lovelock does not name the company that is involved in the bribery scheme.

It is alleged that Reynolds accepted between $50,000 and $70,000 in cash from a representative, and also accepted $17,000 for an undercover FBI agent with the payment being recorded on video.

Freitas allegedly took $7,500 from in exchange from providing bid information that helped a company win a contract in Macomb Township.

Third Macomb County official arrested and charged with bribery by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd