Brendan Humeniak

As part of an unraveling scandal in Augusta Township, outside of Ypsilanti, the state Attorney General's Office on Thursday announced embezzlement charges against township Deputy Treasurer Brendan Humeniak, 21. 

Authorities did not specify how much was allegedly stolen. He was charged with three counts of embezzlement by a public official, agent, or servant, over $50, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a press release from the Attorney General's Office said.

Authorities allege that Humeniak removed cash deposits intended for property taxes and used the funds to pay his personal bills instead.

Humeniak was arraigned on Thursday in 14A-2 District Court in Ypsilanti before Judge Kirk W. Tabbey, who set bond at $5,000.

The charges come about a year after the Michigan State Police and State Treasury Department launched a probe into allegations of missing funds from the township office. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars are unaccounted for, one official said in September.

Humeniak was appointed deputy treasurer in November 2012 by his grandmother, Augusta Township treasurer Lynda Dew. 

Township Trustee Ira Todd, who has lead the charge to investigate the missing funds, said there's allegations that there is more than $800,000 in taxpayer funds unaccounted for. He said he's hopeful more people will be charged.

He said Thursday night concerned citizens in August Township warned him through email that some people have made threats on a local hate site on the Internet against Todd, warning that he needs to back off on his campaign to unearth public corruption in the township hall. Todd said he plans to contact the FBI and Homeland Security about these threats.

"These threats do not discourage me," said Todd, who is a homicide investigator for the Detroit Police Department. "It only encourages me to move forward, and it's a strong indication that I'm closer to exposing the truth. These cowards to hide behind these hate sites don't realize that I have the support of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies." 

Todd went on to say: 

"This is the  first step in a long-term investigation into missing money in Augusta Township," Todd told Deadline Detroit on Thursday night. "There's a lot more money missing. There's a lot more people involved in this. That 21-year-old is not the mastermind behind all the embezzlement that has taken place in Augusta Township."

"I'd like to ask the treasurer and the clerk: Why has this money not been accounted for?  With all the checks and balances in place, why did the clerk and treasurer not notice the missing funds?" 


Township Trustee Ira Todd

"I'm calling for their resignation.  Let's save the township some embarrassment and put some people in there who will do what they're getting paid to do, to protect the taxpayers' money. We've already paid the accounting firms , the Rehmann Robson group and UHY around $200,000 so far to straighten out this financial mess that the township treasurer and clerk's office created."

"I'm grateful for Attorney General Bill Schuette's for exposing corruption in small town government like Augusta Township," Todd said.

Bill Schuette comment in a statement issued Thursday:

 “We will continue to work with law enforcement to hold accountable anyone seeking to violate the public’s trust.”

Taryn Asher of Fox 2 reported in September that an email from a state investigator stated that the financial books are so messed up that investigators have only been able to pinpoint $80,000 in missing funds, and only $10,000 of that can be traced back to Humeniak.

Still, Asher reported that it looked as if it's possible, that because of the poor financial records, one or more persons at town hall could get away with the theft of what one township official Todd, pegged at $800,000 in unaccounted  government funds.