State Senator Bert Johnson, Jr. has been indicted on conspiracy and theft charges by a federal grand jury, the United Sates Attorney's Office announced today.
The 43-year-old Michigan senator from Highland Park is accused of borrowing thousands of dollars from a "co-conspirator" to pay off his personal loan debt before putting the individual on the public payroll as a staff member from March 2014 through January 2015. The indictment also indicates the "ghost employee" did no work for his staff and was paid more than $23,000 in taxpayer money.
"Today’s indictment is an unfortunate reminder that public officials sometimes squander the public’s trust in exchange for personal gain", stated David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI, in a press release. “Rooting out public corruption at all levels of government is an investigative priority of the FBI.”
The senator faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Bjohnson Indictment by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
