Michigan Has A Macomb County Legal Community Issues Of Ethics

This is beyond reproach.

Attorneys can be stripped of attorney client privilege and all the immunities that come with it.

Where is Smooches?

Oh, what a small world.

Former Macomb County Judge Found Dead In Her Home

Macomb County has always been running ops, particularly in Child Welfare.

AG Nessel examining past cases of former assistant after reports he slept with victim of his cases

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Attorney General Dana Nessel is looking into past sexual assault cases run by a former assistant after reports came out he was sleeping with a victim of those cases.

Before Brian Kolodziej was hired by former Attorney General Bill Schuette, he worked at the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office in the sex crimes unit. The same unit that he was evenutally pulled from for having relationships with rape victims.

"So when this came out I, wasn't surprised at all because of what had happened before," said Criminal Defense Attorney Nicole Blank-Becker.

Last week, Nessel announced in a press conference that Kolodziej had admitted to the acts.

 "Mr. Kolodziej admitted to engaging in the relationship," said Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Blank-Becker, speaking exclusively with FOX 2, said while she was head of the sex crimes unit at the Macomb County Prosecutor's office, employees confided in her about strange behavior between Kolodjziej  and female victims in cases he was working.

"The victim advocates report - one of them in particular - reported to me for example, she said that he was getting love letters from a victim and a mom of the victim," Blank-Becker said. "I found out that he was meeting with victim's alone at their house and that's just not the way it's supposed to be done."

In one instance, he was allegedly spotted sitting in a car after hours alone with a female victim.

Following those reports, Blank-Becker reported the behavior to Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith.

In a statement, Smith said:

Kolodziej was not removed from the unit as an act of discipline. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has never received a complaint about Mr. Kolodjziej while he worked as an assistant Prosecutor.

However, Blank-Becker said she took him off the sex crimes unit because "of all the things I either saw or were told or followed up on." While she can't definitively say he was sexually involved with the victims in the past, there were glaring red flags that showed up during his time at Macomb County.

"I think it is very important to find out, are there other victims that felt this way," said Blank-Becker

Kolodziej also worked in the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office. However, Prosecutor David Leyton has told FOX 2 they are unaware of any inappropriate behavior between Kolodziej, but are now looking into it.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Why Did The Michigan Assistant Attorney General Have Inappropriate Relations With The University Sexual Assault Victim?

Q: Why did the Michigan Assistant Attorney General mess around with the victim in a university sexual assault?

A1: I do not know but we should definitely ask him, but I think he has no choice but to bear witness.

A2: We should definitely ask the victim, as she provides strong, detailed testimony, too.

A3: He forgot where he placed his ethics.

A4: Isabella County forgot where it placed its ethics.

Prosecutor in CMU sexual assault case resigns after inappropriate relationship with victim, AG’s office confirms

Brian Kolodziej

LANSING, MI — The Michigan assistant attorney general who prosecuted a former Central Michigan University Student Government Association president on sexual assault charges has resigned after having an inappropriate relationship with a victim in the case, the attorney general’s office confirmed Tuesday.

Assistant Michigan Attorney General Brian Kolodziej resigned on Friday, Sept. 6, according to Kelly Rossman-McKinney, the office’s spokeswoman. She confirmed media reports that Kolodziej resigned after it was learned he had had an improper relationship with a victim in the Ian D. Elliott case.

Attorney General Dana Nessel is hosting a press conference on the issue at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Lansing. It will be live-streamed on the office’s Facebook page. Nessel will be the only speaker at the conference, said Rossman-McKinney, adding she could not provide additional details.

"Ian picked the strongest, most resilient women to mess with."

Elliott, 24, of Cheboygan, in June pleaded no contest to one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Isabella County Circuit Judge Eric R. Janes on Aug. 2 followed a sentencing agreement in ordering Elliott be imprisoned with the Michigan Department of Corrections for a year and a day to 15 years. He also ordered him to pay $198 in fines and costs.

Elliott’s two victims, Rachel Wilson and Landrea Blackmore, gave impassioned statements at Elliott’s sentencing. Kolodziej stood beside them both as they spoke and described them as “brave, heroic survivors.”

Kolodziej said the treatment they endured makes it clear why so few sexual assault victims come forward, specifically addressing the defense’s questioning of them when they were witnesses in prior court hearings.

“Rachel Wilson provided the blueprint for rape survivors going forward: Fight until your voice is heard, demand fairness,” Kolodziej said.

The charge to which Elliott pleaded is connected to Wilson’s assault. In exchange for his plea, the Attorney General’s Office dismissed two more counts of the same charge and one count of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration.

The Attorney General’s Office filed its first three charges against Elliott in December after the Isabella County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed their case. Wilson had previously gone public with what happened to her in an interview with Central Michigan Life.

A February preliminary examination ended with Elliott being bound over for trial. The AG’s Office said witness testimony in that hearing led to the issuing of another third-degree criminal sexual conduct count in March. That charge related to the assault Elliott was accused of perpetrating against Blackmore.

CMU’s Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity investigators previously ruled in favor of Wilson when she made the allegations against Elliott. They concluded Elliott had engaged in sexual contact with a person who “was incapacitated on the evening of Aug. 31” and that she “therefore was incapable of consenting to sexual activity,” Central Michigan Life reported.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©