Senator Bert Johnson
The hammer finally came down on state Sen. Bert Johnson, whose home and state office were recently raided by the FBI and Michigan State Police
A federal grand jury on Tuesday charged Johnson, 43, of Highland Park, with conspiracy and theft crimes involving a "ghost employee," the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Specifically, the two-count indictment alleged that Johnson, from approximately March 2014 through January 2015, borrowed thousands of dollars in cash from an "unnamed co-conspirator" and later put that person on his staff payroll, knowing that the person was a “ghost employee” who contributed no work on behalf of Johnson’s staff.
The indictment alleges that Johnson placed this “ghost employee” on the public payroll solely to pay off the loan, and that the employee was paid over $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", said David P. Gelios, head of the Detroit FBI, said in a statement."
“Senator Johnson’s alleged actions abused the trust of his constituents and amounted to simple theft,” IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Manny Muriel of the Detroit Field Office, said in a statement
If convicted on all charges, Johnson faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison.