Dino Bucci
Dino Bucci
Long the subject of corruption rumors, Macomb Township Trustee Dino Bucci, the former right-hand man of ex-Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco, was indicted Wednesday in an ongoing "pay-to-play" scheme involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. Charges include conspiracy, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering and mail fraud, and are part of a wide-sweeping FBI-IRS probe into public corruption in Macomb County.
The 18-count indictment alleges that Bucci, 58, directed contractors to give him tens of thousands of dollars in cash, checks, and gift cards in exchange for work and contracts with Macomb Township and Macomb County while he served as an elected trustee of Macomb Township and as the Operations Manager, among other positions, at the Macomb County Department of Public Works.
He also directed contractors to give him hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks and cash as part of political fundraising events, including golf outings and dinners, in exchange for county and township contracts, authorities allege in the indictment.
"The crimes as alleged in today's indictment highlight a pervasive pattern of past corrupt and illegal practices in Macomb County," FBI agent David P. Gelios says in a statement.
Additionally, the feds allege Bucci:
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Engaged in extortion over at least five years by using positions at the county and the township to threaten to withhold permits on development work and home construction if contractors didn't pay him tens of thousands of dollars in cash and kickbacks.
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Embezzled and conspired to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars from Macomb Township. For example, Bucci got one contractor awarded a job to pave the Macomb Township Hall parking lot for over $250,000. Unbeknownst to the township, Bucci got another contractor to do the work for about $180,000, with Bucci collecting a kickback of $66,000 in cash in a bag at the headquarters of the Macomb County Department of Public Works.
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Forced county employees to plow snow at his residence and at his mother's residence. When there was a heavy snowfall, Bucci forced county employees to plow snow for other relatives and friends.
- Forced county employees to cut his law and perform other maintenance work at his, and had one employee drive his child to school about 25 minutes away.
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Threatened to dock the pay of county employees, take away overtime opportunities and send them to undesirable work locations if they refused to do this personal work for him.
"The 18-count indictment handed down today should reassure the public that the investigative team will not leave any rock unturned in the Macomb County corruption investigation," Manny Muriel, special agent in charge of the IRS' criminal investigation team in Detroit says in a statement. "Bringing to justice those involved in this near decade long scheme should send a loud and clear message to others that abusing your position as a public official and stealing from the taxpayers will not be tolerated."
