Tag: michigan

Michigan Lt. Gov. Gilchrist Missed about 94% of Senate Sessions He Was Supposed to Attend

Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who recently dropped out of the governor’s race to run for secretary of state, skipped about 94 percent of the Michigan Senate sessions over which he had the responsibility to serve as president, the Detroit News reports.

Craig Mauger, the Detroit News Lansing reporter, writes:

Gilchrist’s habitual absences in the Senate break with a longtime tradition in Michigan, where lieutenant governors usually have presided over the Senate session on a daily basis. They have raised questions about what tasks he’s chosen to take on instead, as he earns an annual taxpayer-funded salary of about $111,000.

Across three lieutenant governors over the last 20 years, Gilchrist has posted the two lowest annual attendance percentages compared with the number of days when senators were asked to be in Lansing. The Detroit Democrat led the Senate for 6% of the days senators were there in 2025 and 39% of the days in 2024, a Detroit News analysis shows.

A spokesman for Gilchrist declined to comment to The News.

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Not Just the Somalis: Nigerian Honored by Gretchen Whitmer Exposed as Massive Day Care Fraudster – Stole While Trashing America’s ‘Structural Racism’

Michigan might have its own fraud scandal brewing.

After widespread fraud was uncovered in Minnesota’s day care and other government-funded social service programs, most of them run by people linked to the immigrant Somali community, the public’s crosshairs turned to state officials, particularly Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Surely these people were not stealing billions from hardworking Americans without having help from public officials?

Similar questions may soon be asked in Michigan of its own programs and its Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

A former professor, Nigerian immigrant Nkechy Ezeh, pleaded guilty last month to wire fraud and tax evasion in a scheme that defrauded Michigan taxpayers out of over $1 million, according to news site MLive.

The misappropriated money had been intended for Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, an early childhood education program for disadvantaged children. Ezeh was the founder and CEO of ELNC.

“The nonprofit closed in 2023 after Ezeh and former Director of Finance and Administration Sharon Killebrew were accused of embezzling more than $2.5 million combined over several years,” WZZM-TV reported.

Killebrew, 70, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud a federally funded program, according to MLive.

Ezeh faces 20 years for wire fraud. The charge of tax evasion could carry an additional five years in prison.

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Michigan, Alabama Republicans Advance Bills To Cut Off Foreign Money In Elections

Michigan and Alabama Republicans took major steps this week to secure their states’ elections from foreign dark money.

The GOP-controlled Michigan House passed legislation (HB 5197) on Thursday that seeks to prohibit foreign nationals from contributing money to ballot initiative campaigns. The measure passed 97-6, with seven members not voting.

HB 5197 stipulates that Michigan ballot question committees “shall not knowingly or willfully receive, solicit, or accept contributions from a foreign national, whether directly or indirectly.” These committees are further required to obtain “affirmation” from any person who donates to the campaign that he or she “is not a foreign national and has not knowingly or willfully received, solicited, or accepted more than $100,000.00 in aggregate from foreign nationals in the 4 years immediately preceding the date of the contribution.”

Ballot question committees who discover that a donor meets the bill’s criteria are ordered to “return” such contributions “not later than 30 business days” after receiving it. Those who violate the provision will be “subject to a civil fine of not more than double the amount of the undisclosed contribution.”

The measure includes additional language explicitly prohibiting foreign nationals from making “a contribution, independent expenditure, or expenditure to promote or defeat a ballot question or to qualify a question for placement on the ballot.”

HB 5197 now heads to Michigan’s Democrat-run Senate for consideration.

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Not Just the Somalis: Nigerian Honored by Gretchen Whitmer Exposed as Massive Day Care Fraudster – Stole While Trashing America’s ‘Structural Racism’

Michigan might have its own fraud scandal brewing.

After widespread fraud was uncovered in Minnesota’s day care and other government-funded social service programs, most of them run by people linked to the immigrant Somali community, the public’s crosshairs turned to state officials, particularly Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Surely these people were not stealing billions from hardworking Americans without having help from public officials?

Similar questions may soon be asked in Michigan of its own programs and its Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

A former professor, Nigerian immigrant Nkechy Ezeh, pleaded guilty last month to wire fraud and tax evasion in a scheme that defrauded Michigan taxpayers out of over $1 million, according to news site MLive.

The misappropriated money had been intended for Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, an early childhood education program for disadvantaged children. Ezeh was the founder and CEO of ELNC.

“The nonprofit closed in 2023 after Ezeh and former Director of Finance and Administration Sharon Killebrew were accused of embezzling more than $2.5 million combined over several years,” WZZM-TV reported.

Killebrew, 70, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud a federally funded program, according to MLive.

Ezeh faces 20 years for wire fraud. The charge of tax evasion could carry an additional five years in prison.

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BLACK ROBE CORRUPTION: Michigan Judge and Three Co-Conspirators Accused of Looting Hundreds of Thousands from Incapacitated

Another bombshell indictment has ripped the mask off America’s so-called “justice system,” and this time the rot allegedly runs straight through the black robe.

Federal prosecutors have charged four Detroit-area insiders, including a sitting Michigan judge, in what authorities describe as a years-long scheme to loot incapacitated individuals and their estates, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from people the court was supposed to protect.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendants are:

  • Nancy Williams, 59
  • Attorney Avery Bradley, 72
  • Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46
  • Dwight Rashad, 69

Bradley-Baskin is the daughter of Avery Bradley and currently serves as a judge on Michigan’s 36th District Court.

All four were charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors also charged Bradley with wire fraud, Bradley, Bradley-Baskin, and Rashad with multiple counts of money laundering, and Bradley-Baskin with making a false statement to federal investigators.

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Gretchen Whitmer Defends Abortion: Killing Babies for Profit is “Just Good Economics”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended the killing of unborn babies in abortions Wednesday during her State of the State address, claiming pro-abortion laws are “just good economics.”

Whitmer, a pro-abortion Democrat, was re-elected to office in November along with a new Democrat-controlled state legislature. Together, they have promised to repeal a 1931 state abortion ban and ensure that abortion on demand remains legal in Michigan for years to come.

Speaking at the state Capitol in Lansing, Whitmer made the argument that killing unborn babies in abortions is good for the economy, according to a video of her speech from The Recount.

Portraying abortion as a “freedom” and a “right,” she said: “Protecting these freedoms is the right thing to do, and it’s just good economics. States with extreme laws are losing talent and investment, because you know what? Bigotry is bad for business.”

The Democrat governor promoted killing unborn babies even while promising to work for a “brighter future” for all Michigan residents, State of Reform reports.

“I can’t wait to share my vision for our state as we move towards our bright future, and lay out my plans to lower costs, bring supply chains and manufacturing home to Michigan, and ensure Michiganders have unparalleled economic opportunity and personal freedom,” she said ahead of her speech.

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Michigan County Clerk Discovers 239 Non-Citizens Selected For Jury Duty Over 4-Month Period, With 14 Registered To Vote

Macomb County Clerk Anthony G. Forlini announced Monday that noncitizens have been appearing in the Michigan county’s jury pool “at an alarming rate” and many of them are registered to vote. The data indicates that many noncitizens have potentially sat on juries and/or illegally voted in elections.

During a press conference in the courthouse jury room in Mount Clemens, MI, Forlini stated that an internal review of the county identified 239 noncitizens selected for jury duty over a four-month period from September 5, 2025, to January 8, 2026.

The jury pool is drawn from the Michigan Secretary of State’s driver’s license database, which does not consistently flag citizenship status, allowing noncitizens—such as lawful permanent residents with green cards—to be included.

Forlini, who is running for Secretary of State, emphasized that noncitizens are ineligible for jury duty under Michigan law.

Upon cross-checking the 239 noncitizens against the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF), Forlini’s office found that 14 had been registered to vote at some point, with three individuals appearing to have cast ballots, including one who voted multiple times.

This was just one county in Michigan over a four month period.

“We need to bring these issues to light, we need to be able to show a light on this and say, ‘Hey, there’s a problem,’” Forlini said. “Secretary of State offices need to verify all applications against federal databases. I think this is critically important.”

He said the three noncitizens who voted have been referred to county Corporation Counsel for consideration of felony charges.

The clerk expressed concern that the current system relies on self-reporting, meaning noncitizens could serve on juries without being identified, potentially compromising the integrity of the judicial process.

He also highlighted that Michigan’s automatic voter registration process, which registers individuals when they apply for a driver’s license unless they opt out, may contribute to the issue, particularly if applicants do not understand the citizenship checkbox on the form.

“Non-citizens are coming through at an alarming rate. Our jury service summons are based on random draws from the driver’s license bank. Frequently non-citizens slip through because citizenship was not flagged in the Secretary of State database,” Forlini stated.

He called for improved data sharing between state and federal databases to enable more reliable citizenship verification.

“We must find a way for the Driver’s License database to confirm citizenship. Many times there may be a language barrier, and applicants do not understand what they are signing. If this is not addressed, we risk compromising our jury trials and our elections,”  Forlini said.

“One possibility is to take advantage of new breakthroughs in linking several databases, where one database is able flag another database for actual citizenship verification.,” he added.

The issue has drawn bipartisan attention, with former Secretary of State Candice Miller and state Representative Joe Aragona supporting calls for legislative review.

A member of the Macomb County Clerk’s office, however, stated during the press conference that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s (D) office said “we’re not gonna touch this” when presented with evidence of non-citizens on jury pool and voter rolls.

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Former Michigan Democrat Party Treasurer Tracy Kornak Allegedly Caught Embezzling From an 87-Year-Old Brain-Damaged Woman — Why Is AG Dana Nessel Protecting Her?

Former Michigan Democrat Party Treasurer Tracy Kornak has been hauled into probate court this week amid allegations she embezzled substantial funds from an elderly, brain-damaged woman under her legal conservatorship, according to court filings and local reporting.

Kornak, an attorney who served on Michigan’s radical Attorney General Dana Nessel’s own transition team, was appointed as the legal guardian for a woman residing at “The Village of Heather Hills,” an assisted living facility.

Rather than protecting the ward, allegations suggest Kornak used the facility’s sensitive tax information to fraudulently bill an insurance company for nearly $50,000 in “care services” that were never authorized.

The director of the facility, Joe LeBlanc, blew the whistle on the operation, leading to a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office.

The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Financial Crimes and Health Care Fraud divisions investigated the claims.

In 2023, the department announced that no criminal wrongdoing was found, citing a lack of a cooperating complainant and unsubstantiated claims.

In July 2025, the Michigan House Oversight Committee authorized subpoenas for records related to the Attorney General’s investigation into Kornak.

However, bombshell records obtained through FOIA requests tell a different story.

The AG’s office supposedly set up an “ethical firewall” to prevent Nessel from interfering. Emails reveal that Nessel allegedly shattered that wall, demanding updates on the case and pressuring staff to provide Kornak with documentation to clear her name, according to WHMI.

Charlie LeDuff from Michigan Enjoyer reported on Wednesday:

Traci Kornak, the former treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party, was hauled into probate court this week, suspected of embezzling from her ward, a brain-damaged elderly woman.

[…]

The old woman died last April, and now the judge wants to know what happened to her money. Her condominium? Her insurance settlement from the car accident? Her trust? Her estate plan? Who made debit card purchases on the day of her death?

[…]

What began as a story about a simple insurance scam perpetrated by Kornak in the name of the old woman has morphed into a scandal implicating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and threatening the impeachment of Dana Nessel.

Kornak was a suspected embezzler, and Whitmer and Nessel knew about the allegations. Nevertheless, they allowed her to continue in her political position as treasurer of the state Democratic Party.

In fact, Whitmer was planning to appoint Kornak to a judgeship as soon as the criminal investigation went away.

[…]

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office has completed its own two-year investigation into Kornak’s stewardship of the old woman’s financial affairs. Among its recommendations are charges of felony embezzlement, which carries a 20-year prison term. That report now sits on the desk of Chris Becker, the Kent County prosecutor, who is considering charges.

Most nauseating about this whole affair—beyond the alleged abuse of an elder who could not fend for herself —is that those in power knew all along. I called them. I shouted questions at them. I mocked them online, in print, and on TV.

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Michigan Judge Allows Marijuana Tax Increase To Take Effect Despite Industry Lawsuit

A group of cannabis industry advocates were unable to convince a Michigan Court of Claims judge that they would face irreparable harm if a new 24 percent wholesale tax on marijuana went into effect to fund the state’s future road repairs.

In an opinion issued Monday, Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel said she was denying a request for a preliminary injunction from the plaintiffs in Holistic Research Group Inc./Michigan Cannabis Industry v. Michigan Department of Treasury.

The consolidated lawsuits posited that the new tax, passed in October as part of a comprehensive 2025-26 budget deal to raise new revenue for road repairs and rebuilds through 2030, was unconstitutional because it violated the title-object clause of the state’s Constitution.

Patel on Monday, after hearing oral arguments in the matter in November, said the industry advocates didn’t make a supported argument that a real constitutional issue existed, nor did the group succinctly show that the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which legalized the use and sale of cannabis in Michigan, was the only statutory mechanism to enact taxes on pot.

“The [road funding act] is consistent with the [marijuana taxation act]. The plaintiffs contend that the phrase ‘all other taxes’…refers only to generally applicable taxes, like the 6 percent sales tax imposed on all retail sales,” she wrote. “If that were true, however, the initiative could have simply said that. Instead, the initiative stated plainly that the 10 percent retail excise tax was in addition to ‘all other taxes.’ And the phrase ‘all other’ is broad and expansive. According to the plain meaning of these terms, ‘all other taxes’ broadly means all taxes other than the tax imposed by [the marijuana taxation act].”

Patel further noted that the Legislature did not directly amend any of the existing taxes in the regulatory act or replace it with the new tax in the road funding legislation; rather, the Legislature imposed a new separate tax, which is permitted under the regulatory act.

“The two statutes can be read together,” Patel wrote.

The claim regarding the mechanism by which a new tax could be enacted was therefore dismissed, Patel wrote.

Patel did, however, allow the case to move forward to determine if the tax interferes with the intent of the voter-initiated law that allowed marijuana consumption, regulations and sales. Patel said a genuine issue of fact remained on that issue, which required further consideration before the court.

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HUGE! Court Rules Defiant Michigan SOS Benson Can’t Manipulate Voter Rolls By Using Illegal Guidance to Clerks—ANOTHER Loss For America’s Dirtiest SOS

On December 4, 2025, a Michigan Court of Claims judge delivered a crushing blow to Jocelyn Benson’s attempts to weaken mail-in ballot safeguards. In another significant victory for election integrity in Michigan, a Michigan Court of Claims judge has once again ruled against Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, striking down her “guidance” that allowed absentee ballots with mismatched or missing identifying numbers to be processed and counted as “challenged” rather than rejected outright.

In 2021, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was given an award for her “outstanding” election work that gave Basement Joe an inexplicable victory in the wee hours of the morning on the day after the 2020 election in Michigan, a state President Trump won in 2016.

The decision, handed down on December 4, 2025, reinforces a key anti-fraud safeguard enacted by the state Legislature in 2024, which mandates that ballots can only be tabulated when the unique numbers on the ballot stub and envelope match perfectly. Benson’s instructions had directed clerks to bypass this requirement, potentially opening the door to irregularities (or cheating) in absentee voter ballot processing.

This latest defeat marks yet another instance of Michigan’s crooked Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson being slapped down by a Michigan court for abusing her authority to loosen critical protections around mail-in voting. The suit, which was brought by the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party, and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry, highlighted how Benson’s directives disregarded legislative intent to prevent fraud by ensuring ballot traceability.

Michigan’s dishonest secretary of state recently refused a request by the DOJ to turn over Michigan’s undredacted voter rolls. The defiant Benson, who is currently running to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for Michigan governor, made a video explaining that the reason she’s refusing to turn over her corrupt voter rolls is that she’s protecting the privacy of Michigan citizens by not revealing their social security numbers to the federal government, the same federal government that issues their social security numbers.

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