Shanelle Jackson Part Of Wayne County Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Told you so. There is so much Medicaid fraud in Wayne County it is ridiculous.  State Representative Shanelle Jackson who had the audacity of going around advocating for more Medicaid money to be pumped into Wayne County Mental Health was getting some of that money pumped into her little campaigns.,

Shanelle Jackson then thinks she is going to run for congress???  Everyone, make sure to tell her Beverly Tran said [sic] "Sit your hair-weave ass down" then tell her to subscribe to my feed, beverlytran.com.

Her weave was paid for by the tears of children who were tortured in foster care in bogus Medicaid funded programs and services justified in fake court reports approved by rubber stamping a judge's signature.

And yes, this is personal and I dare her to challenge my statement.,

Investigation of Wayne Co. widens

Jury probes alleged misuse of mental health funds by Ficano staff

Zoom

The events are the latest in a wide investigation into Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano’s administration. (Detroit News file)

Detroit— A federal grand jury is investigating whether Wayne County illegally spent money intended to help those with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses on spokespeople for Executive Robert Ficano, The Detroit News has learned.
The revelation is the latest in a wide investigation into Ficano's administration — and follows allegations in lawsuits from two former Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency directors that Medicaid money was misspent on salaries for administrators and to pay lobbyists.
That could constitute fraud and, if nothing else, is an affront to decency, said Richard Visingardi, a former executive director who received a $200,000 lawsuit settlement in 2007 after he was fired.
"You have a moral responsibility to follow the law and spend the money on people with disabilities and don't piss it away," Visingardi said. "It's morally reprehensible, a violation of federal standards and practices, and it's just wrong."
Two sources told The Detroit News that Visingardi has received a subpoena to talk to federal agents about the allegations. He declined comment except to say "if I was subpoenaed, it would be as a witness, not a target."
Brooke Blackwell, a spokeswoman for Ficano, said numerous studies have found no abuse.
"Anyone can make an allegation, but the truth of the matter is that there have been no irregularities in any of the many audits conducted," Blackwell wrote in an email.
"Mental health is only partially funded by federal dollars, and those funds earmarked for expenses and salaries are carefully accounted for."
Visingardi's accusations, though, aren't new.
His predecessor at the agency, Patricia Kukula, was fired in 2003 and sued Ficano that year, alleging his staff was "misusing mental health funds … (and) employed members of his personal staff using mental health dollars, when in fact they were not performing mental health work."

Previous payout

She dropped the suit months later, but the settlement was kept secret until Friday — just before a judge today was to weigh a request from Robert Davis, a union activist and Highland Park school board member, to open it.
The deal paid Kukula about $60,000 and gave her credit for nearly five years' work that she didn't perform.
That allowed her to retire in 2009 with a pension that pays $90,420, enrichments that could be worth at least $600,000 over a 30-year pension.
Davis, who filed the suit to open the settlement, said the deal is worth closer to $850,000.
Kukula said she hasn't received a subpoena.
"I'm a law-abiding citizen, and my only involvement is responding to (Davis') suit," said Kukula, who is now vice president of corporate development for the Detroit Medical Center, a system run by Mike Duggan, the deputy executive for Kukula's old boss, former Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara.

Investigation branches

The new investigative thread follows several since federal agents began serving subpoenas on the county in October.
What started as a probe into a $200,000 severance to former economic development director Turkia Mullin and her ties to county contractors has since branched into several areas, sources have told The News.
Now, the grand jury is investigating kickback allegations involving a county-affiliated insurance program; a suicide-prevention contract to the ex-husband of a Ficano fundraiser; Mullin's leadership of the county's land bank; a project to build a $300 million jail; and millions of dollars in information technology contracts.
Mohamed Okdie, who served on the mental health board from 1994 to 2008, said he hasn't been contacted by the grand jury.
But he said prosecutors would have plenty to investigate. Okdie said Ficano routinely dipped into Medicaid money on unrelated projects and even to offset budget gaps in the general fund.
Okdie said he objected, but Ficano controls half of the 12 board members.
Detroit appoints the other six board members to the agency that has a $600 million budget and provides services to 75,000 people.
"It's a tragedy," said Okdie, who served on Ficano's transition team when he was elected county executive in late 2002.
"The mentally ill are on the streets, living in the cold, prostituting themselves and Bob Ficano is using money intended to help them to plug a budget hole."
Kukula came aboard about the time Ficano became county executive in 2003, and troubles soon followed, Okdie said.
Ficano, who had been sheriff for two decades, didn't want Kukula because she was a longtime administrator to his predecessor and frequent foe, Edward McNamara.
After the board gave her a two-year contract in early 2003, "I was told there would be blood on the streets and the (Ficano administration) would discredit me and the entire board," Okdie said.

FBI raids office

Ficano fired Kukula on Nov. 12, 2003, over claims the agency had a $17 million deficit. Ten days later, the FBI raided the mental health agency's offices and removed financial records.
Kukula sued but dropped the case months later in 2004. The commission approved the settlement, but unlike most, wasn't allowed to see its details, said Phil Cavanagh, who served on the commission at the time and is now in the state House.
"Patti told me, 'Phil, they made me an offer I can't refuse. It's unbelievable,'" said Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, who also served on the mental health agency's board.
Cavanagh said he plans to introduce legislation this week to turn the agency into an independent authority. It's now staffed and funded by Wayne County, but the agency board hires its director. There has been a dispute between Ficano and the board over whether the county executive can fire the agency's executive director.
Cavanagh's legislation is identical to bills passed by the House and Senate in 2004. They were vetoed by then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who at the time said she wanted to give Ficano a chance to fix the problems.
"If anything, it's in far worse condition now," Cavanagh said.

Problems ignored

Visingardi said he was brought aboard as a change agent in 2005.
He said he was stymied at every turn, highlighting problems to officials in Lansing and in Wayne County that were ignored.
Visingardi alleged in reports the agency spent Medicaid money to pay its Lansing lobbyist, Karoub and Associates, to block legislation to make the agency an authority.
He also said the county used $17 million in Medicaid funds to plug a budget hole, failed to provide local matches to Medicaid grants and used federal funds to pay salaries of spokespeople for Ficano.
Blackwell countered that two independent audits found "no discrepancies" and the $17 million was put back into mental health after cost overruns.
By May 2006, Visingardi was effectively out as director. Okdie said the board recognized Visingardi as director, but he was blocked from working by sheriff's officials and wasn't paid.
A career mental health administrator, Visingardi said every agency has some level of misspending.
It's often unintentional but, he said, Wayne County failed to implement simple safeguards to prevent abuse.
"You can't argue stupidity. There were no structures to prevent misspending," said Visingardi, who also has served as the state's Community Mental Health Services director and director of Community Mental Health in Oakland and Ionia counties.
"It was fraud."

Wayne County Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare

It's my time to shine.

Look here =====> Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC).



Ficano faces state probe of Medicaid spending by county

Schuette checking claims of illegal use of funds for disabled

Detroit —Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is investigating Wayne County for Medicaid fraud, adding another layer to the probe of Executive Robert Ficano's administration.

Schuette sent an "investigative demand for documents" to the county on Feb. 3, seeking a raft of materials since 2003 about the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency. Schuette is investigating claims, raised in lawsuits by two former directors, that Ficano used money intended for those with developmental disabilities to pay salaries of spokespeople.

The News reported in January that one of the directors, Richard Visingardi, was subpoenaed as a witness by a federal grand jury investigating the county. Visingardi has yet to appear but said Thursday that he's preparing materials to forward to the state.

"This is about who knew what when, and what they did or didn't do about it," said Visingardi, who served as director of the agency from 2005 to 2006 and received $200,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming Ficano misused money intended for the disabled.

News of the request was reported by The News just as Ficano's chief deputy, Jeffrey Collins, was briefing county commissioners on new ethics policies for Ficano's 168 appointees. The new reforms were expected to help diffuse a scandal that started over a $200,000 severance in September and grew into a full-bore FBI investigation of four years of county deals and payouts.

Instead, Ficano faces another criminal investigation on a separate front. The letter from Schuette's office indicates his investigators intend to share their findings with federal authorities.

Pat Dostine, a Ficano spokesman, said his office received Schuette's request but declined to comment because the "investigation is ongoing." Schuette's spokesman didn't return a call for comment Thursday.

Some longtime members of the mental health authority that provides services to 75,000 people said the probe is overdue.

Constance Rowley, who has served on the board since 1998, said Ficano's administration kept putting appointees on the mental health payroll even if they had no experience or provided no services to the agency. When directors complained, they were fired, she said, citing Visingardi and his predecessor, Patricia Kukula Chylinski.

"They see that pot of money (and) they identified ways to utilize it," she said.

Mohamed Okdie, the agency's former chairman, called the investigation "long overdue" and said he had been railing about the use of mental health money to pay for county operations. He said the county wrongly used $17 million in Medicaid money to plug a budget hole.

"No mental health monies, Medicaid or otherwise, should be used to subsidize county functions outside the parameters of the mental health programs that the agency provides," he said.

Ficano spokeswoman Brooke Blackwell has said that numerous audits have shown no evidence of wrongdoing.

Schuette's letter demands details of a 2004 settlement with Kukula Chylinski, audits, numerous contracts, all settlements, bank information, emails, grievances and payroll information.

The settlement to Kukula Chylinski, who was fired in 2003, was sealed but opened after a lawsuit this year by union activist Robert Davis.

The settlement included pension enhancements that could be worth as much as $850,000 over her retirement.

Kukula Chylinski said she has not been contacted regarding the probe, but called the allegations "serious." She said she left the county eight years ago and is "not in a position" to comment.

Schuette also wants any correspondence between Kukula Chylinski and former county chief financial officer Bella Marshall "indicating that mental health funds were used to pay for the county executive's press secretary or other county employees that were not performing mental health functions."

Marshall on Thursday said: "I have no idea what they are talking about."

The investigation is the latest involving mental health. The News reported in December the FBI has subpoenaed the county for information about a $70,000 contract for suicide-prevention programs in 2008. The contract, to an ex-husband of a Ficano fundraiser, called for 12 forums at area schools. Only two occurred.

It's Not The First Time

It's not the first time someone lost their job for reporting fraud to the FBI in Wayne County.

Ficano accused of bullying in whistle-blower lawsuit

A former high-ranking Wayne County official says in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed this week that he was bullied by county Executive Robert Ficano and his appointees and eventually was fired for talking with the FBI about allegations of corruption.

The suit, filed by former Assistant County Executive Ralph Kinney, 46, in Wayne County Circuit Court, depicts an atmosphere of cronyism and graft in county government and the sheriff's office from 2003 to 2007.

Kinney says he was demoted and then fired in November 2007 for reasons ranging from blowing the whistle on illegal use of public money to refusing to campaign for Ficano. Ficano, who declined to comment until he sees the lawsuit filed Tuesday, is in China on a trade mission.

Kinney says he rooted out and exposed corrupt county employees and disclosed malfeasance in Wayne County government offices, according to the lawsuit.

"At the time of his removal, Mr. Kinney had provided considerable information to the FBI regarding fraud and corruption of high-ranking public officials and their family members," the lawsuit says.

Kinney referred questions about the case to his attorney, Richard Convertino.

"Clearly he was retaliated against for coming forward and doing what he was tasked to do, which is to root out corruption and bring unseemly contracts to the attention of his boss, Robert Ficano, and the FBI," Convertino said. "He did what the citizens of Wayne County and the state of Michigan wanted him to do."

In February 2003, Kinney says in the lawsuit, he saw "egregious abuses" of power, including sweetheart contracts between the county and Evans Solutions, a business co-owned by then-Sheriff Warren Evans' brother Blair Evans.

Three months later, Kinney says, he was approached by a high-ranking sheriff's official who warned that he would be jailed on unspecified charges if he didn't stop talking with the FBI.

Upon notification of the threat, Kinney says, Ficano told him to cut off contact with the FBI and the sheriff's office would stop investigating him.

Two months later, Kinney was charged with embezzlement after being accused of using public money to buy campaign T-shirts for Ficano. In December 2003, a district court judge dismissed the case, saying it was politically driven and "stinks to high heaven."

Kinney says in his suit that he reported other alleged abuses, including misuse of public funds dedicated to services for children and families and fraudulent billings for businesses that never did work for the county.

As a result of his dismissal, Kinney says, he has suffered embarrassment, financial distress and depression.

Kinney had worked for Ficano for more than 15 years in various capacities. And it was Ficano who supported Kinney when the Free Press reported in 2003 that Kinney had misrepresented his academic credentials when he sought and eventually got the job of running the county's Department of Community Justice.

Read more: Ficano accused of bullying in whistle-blower lawsuit | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101119/NEWS02/11190377/Ficano-accused-of-bullying-in-whistle-blower-lawsuit#ixzz15lAicw4l

Dunleavy v. Wayne County by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Wayne County Operational Au... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Wayne County Juvenile Asses... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Wayne County Juvenile Assessment Center Audit 2004

Cocktails & Popcorn: WXYZ Found The Detroit Development Fund But Forgot To Ask Who Owns The Patent

Much love to WXYZ, except Carolyn Clifford, because she does not remember Father Michael Winkowski from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Elizabeth Warren said really dumb things about Detroit and his Detroit legacy, but it was for the purposes of stealin' more from the people of Detroit under the reparations banner of a #coloredrevolution because they stole all the TARP money and want to steal more children, land and votes.

But, I digress.

Someone should ask Mike Duggan about those child welfare NGOs that like to do stuff with tiny humans like preterm births and infant mortality.

Someone should ask him who owns the patent because it looks like it is possibly the land patent to the City of Detroit, courtesy of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, but, hey, what do I know?

https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=detroit+development+fund

Duggan once ripped ‘secret funds.’ Today, he ducks questions about his own.

'Progress Fund' has spent $750,000 in secret since '14

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan refuses to disclose how a non-profit set up “to promote the City of Detroit’s turnaround” has spent $750,000 since 2014.

His decision, allowable by the IRS, stands in stark contrast to a 2013 promise Duggan made while running for mayor, vowing that he would have “no part in a secret fund when I’m elected.”

But in 2014, shortly after Duggan took office, the Detroit Progress Fund was created to “assist the Office of the Mayor on expenditures necessary to conduct the business for the City but for which there are no funds available in the City budget.”

The fund summarizes its expenses in broad categories, like spending more than $16,000 last year on “meals,” nearly $34,000 on “community outreach” and more than $41,000 on “travel.”

Fund administrator Abbey Dinsmore, who is also a fundraiser for Duggan's mayoral campaign, says the Progress Fund has been used for things like flying in job candidates from out of state and helping put on an annual dinner during Ramadan.

“We are following the law, we are disclosing everything the IRS requires that we disclose to the IRS,” Duggan said when questioned by 7 Investigator Ross Jones earlier this month.

Unlike many similar non-profits, the Detroit Progress Fund discloses its donors quarterly or bi-annually. But expenses have remained a secret and, as Duggan points out, the IRS doesn't require funds to disclose them publicly.

History of controversy

Duggan is hardly the first Michigan politician to be associated with a non-profit 501(c)(4) like the Progress Fund. Over the years, a number of elected leaders have come under fire over how their non-profits spent money.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick insisted his Kilpatrick Civic Fund was in complete compliance, saying in 2001: “We’ve done all the paperwork, followed every rule, every regulation from the IRS.”

But reporters and eventually federal prosecutors would reveal that the Civic Fund was used to pay for things like Kilpatrick’s lavish family vacations, golf clubs and even yoga lessons.

Ex-Governor Rick Snyder said his NERD Fund was acting above board, saying in 2012 that “there’s nothing that exciting about it. We’re just following the rules and moving ahead.”

But the fund was ultimately closed after reporters learned it was paying Snyder’s top aide, Rich Baird, a salary of $100,000 from donors who were unknown.

Former Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano ran into trouble with his non-profit, the Wayne County Business Development Corporation, when it was revealed by 7 Action News to have paid his economic development czar a secret $75,000 annual bonus, paid in part by county contractors.

“Government doesn’t always run best on ‘trust me,'” said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor who today is a law professor at Wayne State University.

“That’s the key to government is transparency,” he said. “That we know this much is coming in and here’s what it’s being spent on.”

'Erodes confidence in government'

Henning isn’t alone in cautioning public officials from using secret funds as an extension of government. Duggan himself spoke out against them in 2013 when he was a candidate for mayor.

In an interview on Channel 7, Duggan was asked specifically about non-profit funds that got Kilpatrick, Snyder and Ficano into trouble.

“You’ll notice in this campaign, I did not create one of those funds,” Duggan said. “I had advisers telling me, let’s create secret funds where you don’t know the donors. I said absolutely not, I’m not going to participate in that. I think it erodes confidence in government, and I’m going to have no part in a secret fund when I’m elected.”

Earlier this month, Duggan was asked by 7 Action News about his change in heart.

“I didn’t change my mind,” Duggan said. “The issues were raised about people not disclosing their donors. We have disclosed our donors from the beginning,” he said.

“As you know, these funds have been abused, from Kilpatrick to Ficano to Snyder for how they've been spending money,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones. “And the question is, if you have nothing to hide, why not show us exactly how it’s being spent?”

“There has been no suggestion of anything wrong,” Duggan said.


Close ties to Mayor

The Detroit Progress Fund is overseen by a board of five, but neither Duggan nor the fund's spokesman will say who selected the board members. All of them have ties to Duggan or his campaign.

Jonathan Quarles is the chairman of the Progress Fund’s Board. In 2014, he was appointed by Duggan to the city's Economic Development Corporation board.

Trunetta Roach, the Progress Fund’s treasurer, is the wife of Duggan’s spokesman John Roach. Campaign records show that she's donated $1,000 to Duggan’s campaign.

Attorney Thomas Bruetsch also sits on the board. In 2013, he represented Duggan in his fight to stay on the mayoral ballot. He's also donated nearly $2,500 to Duggan’s campaign.

Board member David Katz is one of Duggan’s longtime friends, having worked with him since his days in Wayne County government. Katz donated more than $10,000 to Duggan’s campaign.

In addition to serving on the Progress Fund’s board, Tatiana Grant also worked to help get the mayor elected. Records show that her company, Infused PR, has been paid more than $43,000 by Duggan’s campaign.

Fund spokesman Mario Morrow called the board “very competent people” and said their past history with Duggan doesn’t influence their judgment.

“They all seem to be pretty close to the mayor,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones.

“This is a small town,” Morrow said.

#sayhisname

Detroit Development Fund Pa... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Detroit Development Fund Pa... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Another Detroit Authority Scandal: Detroit Metropolitan Airport Authority

For more background on the Detroit Metropolitan Airport scandals, click here.

This public corruption scandal goes all the way back to the King Maker, Ed McNamara and former Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano.

I wonder if the FBI is going to cover the EB-5 and Wayne County property foreclosure auctions?

Detroit Metro scandal widens second contractor charged

Detroit — A corruption investigation involving rigged contracts at Detroit Metropolitan Airport widened Tuesday when a contractor was charged in federal court with bribing an airport official.

William Pritula, 69, of Romulus was charged with federal program bribery, a 10-year felony, and the nature of the charge indicates he is expected to plead guilty amid the ongoing investigation.

According to prosecutors, Pritula received $5.47 million after bribing an unnamed official with the Wayne County Airport Authority, which manages and operates Detroit Metro and Willow Run airports.

The criminal charge was filed more than one month after another contractor, Gary Tenaglia, was charged with participating in a conspiracy that defrauded the Wayne County Airport Authority out of $1.5 million.

The conspiracy involves Tenaglia’s firm, Envision Engineering & Maintenance, and a $1.5 million contract to remove snow and ice from the Blue Deck parking structure at the airport. According to court records, Tenaglia conspired with at least two other people who are not named in the court filing.

Tenaglia, 64, a multimillionaire businessman from Rochester, also is expected to plead guilty.

Pritula, meanwhile, is president and owner of his namesake firm, William A. Pritula & Sons, LLC. The firm has worked as an airport contractor for at least eight years and secured contracts for facility and infrastructure maintenance and water main, storm sewer and sanitary system distribution repairs.

From May 2010 to October 2014, Pritula gave the unnamed airport official bribes to influence and reward the official for helping secure airport deals, according to court records.

Prosecutors want a $5.47 million judgment against Pritula. The sum represents gross proceeds obtained by Pritula, according to court records.

Pritula's lawyer, Ben Gonek, declined comment Tuesday.

“The Wayne County Airport Authority is aware of the criminal complaint that was filed today against William Pritula," spokeswoman Erica Donerson said in a statement Tuesday. "Since late 2014, the Airport Authority has not had any contracts with Pritula companies or the individual, William Pritula. We cannot comment further at this time given the pending proceedings.”

The airport authority trumpeted Pritula's firm when it won a $2.6 million maintenance contract in 2010.

“We have seen repeatedly how spending on transportation infrastructure turns out to be an investment in our future,” then-Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said. “I congratulate Pritula & Sons for their successful bid.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Michigan's immigrant youths put in legal limbo

Secretary of state says up to 12K here illegally despite Obama's deferred deportation policy

• By Serena Maria Daniels
• The Detroit News
• 20 Comments

Purchase Image

Sergio Martinez, 24, is not allowed a driver’s license in Michigan because of a decision by Secretary of State Ruth Johnson. (Steve Perez / The Detroit News)

Detroit — For Sergio Martinez, proving that he has been in the United States from the age of 5 hasn't been easy.

U.S. Immigration and Customs officials wanted every report card, school award, immunization record and transcript he has acquired over 21 years

Luckily, his mother provided him with all of his records, practically enough documentation to fill a Sunday newspaper.

"You name it, they asked for it. I'm surprised they didn't ask for a hair sample," said Martinez, 24, who lives in Detroit.

He is among the 308,935 young adults who were brought into the country illegally as children who have applied for a two-year deferment from deportation under an Obama administration policy announced this year.

But the stack of records will not be enough for Martinez to get a driver's license or state identification card in Michigan.

Martinez is among the 7,000 to 12,000 undocumented immigrants in Michigan who meet the requirements of President Barack Obama's federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but are not being allowed to obtain licenses in Michigan. Secretary of State Ruth Johnson ruled in October that this group of immigrants does not have legal presence in the country.

Johnson's spokeswoman, Gisgie Gendreau, said the state cannot issue licenses until the undocumented immigrants are granted legal presence to be in the United States.

"We rely on the federal government to tell us who is here legally; we don't determine that," Gendreau said. "So far, the federal government has not provided information to the states indicating that DACA grants that legal status."

The Johnson ruling typifies a legal limbo existing for recipients of deferred action. Under that policy, young adults who arrived in the country illegally as children can be granted work permits and Social Security numbers, but only for two years. The policy does not automatically lead to permanent legal status or citizenship .

Getting into the deferred action program is a lengthy process. Among the many requirements, applicants must:

Have proof of identity and can prove he or she arrived in the country before age 16 and were under age 31 as of June 15, 2012.

Provide evidence he or she graduated or is working toward completing high school or its equivalent and must be otherwise law-abiding.

Once approved, the applicant can get a work permit and may be eligible to get a Social Security number.

Mich. challenges policy

While most states have not challenged the policy, Michigan joins the two states — Nebraska and Arizona — that have banned the issuance of driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants who qualify for the deferred action program. Conversely, in California, the state with one of the heaviest concentration of immigrants in the country, Gov. Jerry Brown in September signed a law that allows people approved for DACA to obtain driver's licenses or state ID cards.

"It seems that the national trend among states is we're already seeing a pro-immigrant position versus anti-immigrant," said Alina Das, a law professor at the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University.

"That's why Michigan to me is interesting. … I would not have guessed that (the Michigan secretary of state) would have taken this position given the climate there. Michigan has a strong and vibrant immigrant community."

Immigrant rights groups, legal experts and young immigrants who call themselves DREAMers — a nod to failed federal legislation that would have given young immigrants a path to citizenship — say Johnson's directive is misguided, based on her reasoning that DACA doesn't give recipients legal presence.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano joined activists last month in opposing Johnson's ruling. In a letter to Gov. Rick Snyder, Ficano urged him to issue an executive directive calling for Johnson to rescind her decision.

"Ms. Johnson apparently issued her directive based on the legally erroneous conclusion that because a DACA designation 'does not provide legal status' to the DACA beneficiary, the DACA beneficiary is, therefore, 'unlawfully present' within the United States," the letter states. "She apparently reached this decision, notwithstanding federal authority stating that although a DACA designation may not confer legal status on that individual, the person is nonetheless, 'legally present' within the United States."

The legal case

Gendreau said Johnson in recent weeks has met with the American Civil Liberties Union to discuss the group's concerns and explained that unless the federal government changes its position, the Secretary of State's Office cannot change its position.

Susan Reed, supervising attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, an advocacy group in Kalamazoo, said she finds that reasoning hard to believe.

"I think that they're giving that term a tremendous amount of weight when it really has no weight at all," Reed said.

The legal case in favor of licenses and IDs for DACA recipients made by immigration advocates relates to the federal REAL ID Act. That law, enacted in 2005, considers individuals in deferred action to be lawfully present for the purpose of obtaining driver's licenses, they argue.

"Regulations implementing the REAL ID Act specifically state that an individual with approved deferred action has 'valid documentary evidence that the applicant is lawfully present in the United States,'" according to an issue brief published by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

Under a state law passed in 2004, applicants for driver's licenses must provide valid evidence that they possess a Social Security number.

That has meant many illegal immigrants — whose licenses have expired over the past eight years — have risked being caught driving without a license.

One Detroit area resident got caught recently in the dilemma. While awaiting approval of a deferred action application, a 19-year-old, named Jose, who plans to attend Washtenaw Community College next term, was stopped by Redford police on I-96 and ticketed for driving without a license. Jose asked that his last name not be published out of fear that his father, who is undocumented, would be deported.

When Jose couldn't show the necessary documentation, his car was impounded, and he and his mother had to get a ride from a nearby gas station, Jose said.

Only weeks ago, Jose learned he had work authorization and a Social Security card, which he might have been able to use to renew his license. "I'm caught in this situation where I can go to work, I can go to school, I'm legal here, but I can't go to work and can't go to school."

Meanwhile, Sergio Martinez continues to take chances getting from his job as a bartender to the brick home in Detroit he and a friend are renovating.

Instead of letting the fear get to him, Martinez said he pays close attention to every development out of Washington. He works closely with the Alliance for Immigrants Rights and Reform Michigan to share his story.

If he could have, Martinez said he would have voted for Obama, calling him his hero for the measures the president has taken to decriminalize immigrants.

Still, he says he has to drive like a grandmother to avoid getting pulled over. And he missed joining friends on a recent trip to Lebanon because he would not be authorized to return to the United States.

"I've almost contemplated moving to Mexico," Martinez said, though he doubts he would fit in if he were to return to his native Mexico City. "It's almost like America doesn't want me here."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121203/METRO/212030340#ixzz2E18ciyNL
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Cocktails & Popcorn: Matt Schneider Said "At Least"- Where is Bob Ficano, Turkia Mullin, Brendan Dunleavy, Raymond Wojtowicz??

I truly hope we did not forget about Bob Ficano.

I wonder what Bob is up to these days.

I wonder what Turkia Mullin is doing.

Where is Brendan Dunleavy?

Where is Raymond Wojtowicz?

We should talk to Kwame Kilpatrick.

Someone should invite them for a lovely evening of cocktails & popcorn and livestream the interviews.

Guilty Detroit Metro airport boss gasps at verdict in $5M bribery case

James Warner

Detroit — A former Detroit Metropolitan Airport official faces the longest corruption crime sentence in U.S. history after being convicted Wednesday of receiving more than $5 million worth of bribes.

James Warner, 52, of Commerce Township, gasped and arched his eyebrows as the jury forewoman said "guilty" 10 times for charges that included bribery, theft and money laundering conspiracies, and obstruction of justice, a charge that carries a possible 20-year prison sentence.

Warner could be sentenced to more than 30 years in federal prison. The sentence would eclipse the current record, a 28-year federal prison sentence being served by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Warner will be sentenced Oct. 8 by U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts.

"The government is going to come at him guns blazing and seek the maximum sentence," said Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor. "Whether Judge Roberts gives that to him is an open question."

Advisory sentencing guidelines call for 24-30 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, who was in the courtroom Wednesday, said his office will pursue a sentence within the guideline range, "at least."

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said, "at least".

Roberts has broad discretion and can ignore the guideline range.

Henning does not expect a record-setting sentence even though Warner was accused of receiving five times as much money as Kilpatrick.

"Being an elected mayor versus an airport official, I’m not sure they’re exactly comparable even though (Warner) took much more money," Henning said.

Prosecutors wanted Warner taken into custody Wednesday, calling him a flight risk and a danger to himself, citing what they believe was a suicide attempt in 2017.

More than $1 million remains unaccounted for and the money could bankroll a flight from justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton Brown told the judge.

Warner’s lawyer Robert Harrison disagreed. All of Warner’s assets have been frozen or seized, Harrison said, adding that Warner is not suicidal.

The judge read letters from Warner’s doctor before deciding to let Warner remain free until October. The letters convinced the judge Warner was not suicidal and she was satisfied he does not have money to fund an escape.

Warner and his lawyer declined comment.

Jurors deliberated for about four hours before reaching the verdict following a trial that lasted parts of three weeks. In a rare move, Warner testified in his own defense.

Warner, an airport manager and field inspector who also worked for West Bloomfield Township, is the rare indicted public official to stand trial on corruption charges and risk a decades-long federal prison sentence.

Kwame Kilpatrick and Dean Reynolds

Two of the most recent politicians to stand trial in federal court —Kilpatrick and Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds — were convicted and sentenced to double-digit prison sentences.

Kwame Kilpatrick, left, and Dean Reynolds.

Warner's alleged appetites distinguish him from the dozens of public officials who have been accused or convicted of corruption-related crimes in the last decade in Metro Detroit. He fabricated invoices, overcharged the airport for work performed by contractors and received more than $5 million worth of kickbacks during a four-year period, prosecutors said.

The alleged bribery conspiracy outlined by prosecutors started in May 2010 when Warner was working as a field inspector at the airport approving maintenance and repair contracts. He headed three related schemes involving Metro Detroit contractors, including Romulus businessman William Pritula, 70, whose company William Pritula & Sons held facilities and maintenance contracts at the airport, prosecutors said.

Warner drafted and submitted inflated invoices for work Pritula was hired to perform at the airport, according to the government. The payments totaled more than $18 million.

In return, Warner received approximately half of the profits from the contracts, or more than $5 million, according to the indictment.

Pritula pleaded guilty to bribery last year and could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison in September. He agreed to forfeit $5.4 million to the government.

Federal court records describe Warner as a greedy, potty-mouthed felon.

"If it weren't for me, your ass would be out," Warner told one airport contractor, according to the indictment.

That contractor, authorities allege, was Gary Tenaglia, 65, of Rochester, who was charged last year and accused of defrauding the Wayne County Airport Authority of $1.5 million.

Warner allegedly gave Tenaglia inside information so the contractor's company, Envision Electric, could win contracts. In return, Warner received 10 percent of each invoice, prosecutors said.

During one dinner, Warner and Tenaglia discussed contracts and kickbacks, prosecutors said.

"During the meal, James Warner wrote '5k,' a proposed kickback amount, on a napkin," prosecutors wrote in the indictment. "He folded it and slid it across the table to Gary Tenaglia. After Gary Tenaglia acknowledged the meaning of the writing on the napkin, James Warner retrieved the napkin and ate it."

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An Authority Or Child Welfare: Which Fraud Came First In Wayne County?

Well. If Matt Schneider is going to go after public corruption in Wayne County, I truly hope he applies the same methodology to the other side of the Wayne County Airport Authority, which just so happens to be Child Welfare, which just so happens to be much worse.

Feds: Detroit airport manager took bribes, ate evidence

Detroit — A former Detroit Metropolitan Airport official was indicted in federal court Wednesday on charges he pocketed more than $5 million in bribes and tried to cover up the crime by eating evidence.

Former airport utilities and infrastructure manager James Warner, 51, of Commerce Township, is the third person charged in a widening bribery investigation involving an airport that has been a recurring setting for corruption scandals in recent years. The money Warner received amounts to one of the largest bribery cases prosecuted by the local U.S. Attorney's Office, which has sent ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and dozens of others to prison for corruption in recent years.

Federal agents have seized $11.4 million during the investigation, including $7.5 million from one contractor and $3.9 million from Warner, who was suspended Wednesday from his job in the West Bloomfield Township water and sewer department.

"Our citizens are entitled to decisions based on the best interests of the public, not the best interests of corrupt public officials and bribe-paying contractors," U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement Wednesday.

Warner was charged with conspiracy, theft, bribery, money laundering and obstruction of justice during a seven-year stretch of corruption that spanned work at the airport and as a water and sewer official for West Bloomfield Township. If convicted, Warner could spend more than 20 years in federal prison.

He was arraigned late Wednesday in federal court and released on $10,000 unsecured bond.His lawyer did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

Warner had the power to approve and extend maintenance projects funded through the Wayne County Airport Authority from 2010 to 2014.

He ruled with a salty tongue and his hand out, according to federal prosecutors.

"If it weren't for me, your ass would be out," Warner told one contractor, according to the indictment.

That contractor, authorities allege, was Gary Tenaglia, 64, of Rochester, who was charged last month and accused of defrauding the Wayne County Airport Authority of $1.5 million.

During one dinner, Warner and Tenaglia discussed contracts and kickbacks, prosecutors said.

"During the meal, James Warner wrote '5k,' a proposed kickback amount, on a napkin," prosecutors wrote in the indictment. "He folded it and slid it across the table to Gary Tenaglia. After Gary Tenaglia acknowledged the meaning of the writing on the napkin, James Warner retrieved the napkin and ate it."

The indictment was filed one day after prosecutors charged airport contractor William Pritula, 69, of Romulus with federal program bribery, a 10-year felony.

In exchange for offering bribes, Pritula received contracts worth more than $18 million during a four-year period, according to the indictment.

Tenaglia and Pritula are expected to plead guilty.

Pritula owned and operated Pritula and Sons, a firm that won contracts to repair and replace pavement at the airport and contracts to repair water mains and install fire hydrants from 2003 to 2014.

Starting in May 2010, Pritula conspired with Warner and others to steal money from federally funded programs and commit bribery, prosecutors said.

Warner provided confidential and proprietary information that helped Pritula win airport contracts, according to the indictment.

Warner created phony invoices on behalf of the contractor’s company that “grossly inflated the cost and scope” of Pritula’s work, the government alleged.

In return, Pritula paid kickbacks to the airport official, prosecutors said.

In September 2013, for example, Warner submitted a $938,000 invoice to the airport authority for work that cost $275,000, according to the indictment.

Days later, Pritula’s firm paid Warner $397,372 and the airport official deposited the money in his bank account.

In less than a year, Warner received more than $573,000 from Pritula’s company, prosecutors allege.

Warner also supervised work by Tenaglia’s firm, Envision Electric, which had contracts to maintain airport parking structures from May 2011 to June 2014.

Warner fabricated reviews of Envision’s work and concealed mistakes made by the company, according to the indictment.

In exchange, Warner demanded kickbacks, prosecutors said.

Warner told Tenaglia he needed to pay kickbacks “to be a part of the ‘brotherhood’ at the airport,” prosecutors allege.

"The allegations against James Warner cheating the citizens of Wayne County are distressing to the many men and women working hard every day with integrity and commitment to protect those public funds provided for infrastructure development,” Timothy Slater, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field division, said in a statement.

Warner left the airport authority in August 2014. In January 2017, he started working for the West Bloomfield Township water and sewer department as a project manager with a $74,027 salary.

"Within months, Warner proposed to Tenaglia a continuation of the same scheme the two had at the airport— a demand for 10 percent of each invoice West Bloomfield Township paid Tenaglia," prosecutors alleged.

The township suspended Warner with pay Wednesday, Supervisor Steven Kaplan told The News.

Kaplan said he is unaware whether the township was defrauded and that Warner did not have access to money or township checks.

“I think it’s doubtful,” Kaplan said. “He was low in the chain of employees. We had no reason to know or suspect that he might have been involved in skulduggery during his Wayne County employment. Although we recognize he’s presumed to be innocent, the allegation involving West Bloomfield is very disturbing."

Warner also was charged with obstructing justice because prosecutors said he altered a document provided to the FBI during the investigation.

The airport has periodically been embroiled in corruption investigations.

Airport authority CEO Turkia Mullin, a former Wayne County economic development chief, was fired in 2011 after the FBI served subpoenas demanding information about a nonprofit she ran and deals she engineered for the county.

Mullin was never charged with a crime.

The investigation coincided with a probe of then-Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, who lost re-election in August 2014.

Ficano was never charged with a crime and said federal investigators wrote him a letter after the three-year investigation declaring that he was "never a target" of the probe.

In 2004, former top airport official Wilbourne Kelley III and his wife, Barbara, were convicted of accepting cash, home improvements and other gifts from former airport contractor Frank Vallecorsa. They were sentenced to 44 months and 41 months in prison, respectively.

Kelley was the only official sent to prison as a result of an FBI investigation of Wayne County government under Edward H. McNamara, the late political boss.

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'Corrupt officials' time is up, Detroit FBI chief says; new task force announced

Remember, you heard it here first.  Stay tuned for updates.  Thank you Andrea Arena for going after Medicaid fraud in child welfare, and antitrust violations in the 5 child placing agencies' contracts, and racketeering in child protective services and foster care services, and false claims in mental health programs, and fraudulent generation of documents, and illegal campaign contributions to judges over at Lincoln Hall of Justice, and the cover ups of rape, torture and murder...oh, just watch the video!

'Corrupt officials' time is up, Detroit FBI chief 

says; new task force announced

The FBI’s top official in Detroit declared war on public corruption today, hours after law enforcement officials announced a new task force to combat it.

Andrew Arena, special agent in charge of the Detroit office of the FBI, called corruption in the region “generational, systematic, part of the culture.”

“It takes a whole lot to penetrate that,” he said. “It’s kind of like a war. You penetrate the enemy’s defenses.”

Arena declined to name the enemies he was referring to, saying he could not talk about ongoing investigations. He has overseen investigations of ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, as well as Wayne County government under Executive Robert Ficano.

“You see what’s out there,” he said, in an apparent reference to news media coverage of federal investigations of Detroit and Wayne County government.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment of a former treasurer for Detroit, who is accused of taking bribes to support pension investment deals.

Last month, prosecutors charged Wayne County’s former chief technology officer with shaking down an IT contractor for cash, trips and perks for his family.

Arena called public corruption “our No..1 criminal priority right now.”

He spoke to reporters from his office on the 26th floor of the McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit. The office looks out on the Detroit River, as well as southwest Detroit, where Arena grew up.

He said the task force announced Thursday has been working together for a few months. Though law enforcement agencies traditionally have cooperated, he said it was “groundbreaking to put this many agencies together.”

“We all bring a different set of tools,” Arena said.

In addition to the FBI, the task force includes federal prosecutors, the IRS, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, state police, Detroit police and federal housing, environmental protection and transportation investigators.

“Public corruption robs citizens of the honest government we deserve,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement announcing the task force.

Erick Martinez, special agent in charge of the criminal investigations division of the IRS in Detroit, said in the statement: “The individuals who commit these crimes are driven by greed and have no regret for their selfish actions.”

Comments from other members of the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force included in the statement focused on the impact public corruption has on people.

Breck Nowlin, special agent in charge of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General in Detroit, said: “The abuse of public office … steals from the very programs designed to protect our cities and neighborhoods and selfishly takes valuable government services from those who need them the most.”

Randall Ashe, special agent in charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal investigations division in Detroit, said public corruption kills.

“Because exposure to asbestos, lead and hazardous waste can be fatal, our public leaders must ensure that construction work is carried out properly and by the most qualified people and companies, not by those looking to ‘pay to play.’ ”

In an interview, Arena said he wants investigations to move more quickly than that of the Detroit corruption probe, which took several years to result in criminal charges. He predicted that the Wayne County investigation would be done much sooner.

He said investigators owe a speedy resolution not only to taxpayers, but to the people under suspicion “to either bring charges or clear their names.”

Arena also harkened back to a comment he made in June 2009, on the day then-Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to taking bribes.

“We’re coming after you,” he said at a news conference. “Look over your shoulder. Look under your bed. Look in your closet. We’re coming after you.”

He said he took some guff afterward, but after a slew of other Detroit officials were indicted, he added: “I don’t think anybody’s laughing anymore.”

“We’ve got people on the run,” Arena said. “We’ve got the community behind us.”

Michigan $5 Billion Dollar Health Fraud

Here we have the latest piece of evidence, almost $5 billion, that Michigan's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit does not do jack shit. Top that off with Candidate for Michigan State Representative Shanelle Jackson (incumbent) prancing around claiming Detroit needs more mental health money for the so-called mental health authorities that are buying her off, and you get audit reports such as this.

There was severe strain between Bernard Kilpatrick and Ficano with both accusing the other of caring more about control of the agency and its contracts than about care for the mentally ill.

Tensions became further strained after the county sought to depose Kilpatrick under oath in its lawsuit seeking to recover funding from a more than $20 million contract given to Jon Rutherford, the operator of a homeless shelter who has been indicted for income tax evasion.

Michigan Auditor General audited 11 programs as major programs and reported known questioned costs of $489.0 million and known and likely questioned costs totaling $4.4 billion. Known and likely questioned costs were based on documentation provided to us by DCH during our audit fieldwork. However, it is possible that DCH could obtain

We identified instances of noncompliance that are required to be reported in accordance with U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133 (Findings 6 through 27, 29, and 31 through 35).

Adverse opinion was issued for the Medicaid program as Department of Community Health's internal controls over the program did not ensure compliance with federal law and regulations regarding reporting.

I normally post the actual audit, but since the state has started locking its reports, that is not going to happen for some time, so here is the direct link.

Michigan's Corruptibility Rated An 'F' In New Report -- And It Isn't Just A Detroit Problem

Yes, Kwame and his wife both had their hand in the child welfare cookie jar.  Detroit child abuse task force money used to go in his pocket and his wife used to receive checks out of Wayne County for doing daily employment background checks on kids in foster care as young as 6 months old.

From the cases of Kwame Kilpatrick to those of Monica Conyers and Robert Ficano, metro Detroit has not wanted for blockbuster political scandals over the past few years. But now a new ranking from the Center for Public Integrity claims that Michigan as a whole is one of the worst states when it comes to "corruptibility."

I wholeheartedly support their findings with documented proof.

Michigan got an F and ranked 43rd in the nation in the State Integrity Investigation, which aimed to figure out how loopholes or laxness in state laws make it easier to unduly influence legislators and leaders and subvert the political process.  Maura Corrigan,

For national political junkies accustomed to cracking jokes about the mob-like political culture of Illinois, New Jersey or Rhode Island, the news that Michigan is one of the most corruptible states might come as something of a surprise. Nope.  It was the inspiration for my site. But for clean government advocates who have had their eye on the Wolverine State as they watched corporate money pour into state and local elections in the last few years, the report is just one more sign that Michigan needs to change to avoid even more scandals.  One must also keep in mind that a NGO is a charity, a church, a non-profit which will also pump money into a campaign.

The problem, those advocates say -- and the State Integrity Investigation bears them out -- is that activities that might put you in jail in other states are perfectly legal in Michigan.  That is absolutely correct.  For example, you file false claims for Medicaid cost reimbursements for child welfare services which were never rendered because they do not exist, then when the foster care agencies get the check and cash it, they put big money into the campaigns of probate judges who preside over their child welfare and juvenile delinquent cases so the agencies may continue using that judge's rubber stamping of fake cases.  Shelia Gibson-Manning is notorious for her scandalous partnership with Black Families Development and false claims funding of her campaigns.

 w

"It absolutely extends beyond Detroit," said Jocelyn Benson, a former candidate for secretary of state who is now the associate director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School. Statewide, "we have some of the weakest disclosure and lobbying laws in the country," she said.

She speaks the truth.  It originated in Lansing.  Go as Jennifer Granholm to share stories of the schemes she was involved in when she was prosecuting child abuse cases at Lincoln Hall of Justice as an assistant attorney general.  Using the same x-rays of a broken arm of a child, Granholm successfully prosecuted 4 different families.  Then ask her about the fraud at Wayne County Juvenile Assessment Center.  I am quite sure she would tell you even more of the fraud schemes she refused to prosecute as Attorney General.  Make sure to tell Jenny I am still on that mission.
.
"Corporate-funded ads and commercials funded by shadowy organization have been on the rise in Michigan and been a significant problem in Michigan years before Citizens United," Benson said. Through super PACs and other campaign practices legalized by the Supreme Court's ruling in its 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the rest of the country is now getting a taste of Michigan-style politics, she added.

This is what I like to call child abuse propaganda.  Many elections were won by throwing dead babies.  These child placing agencies will dump big money into a political campaign under the guise of preventing child abuse.  Just look at the Michigan Children's Trust Fund.  For even more fund, guess where some of that money was going to in Detroit and Wayne County.  If you said elections, you were partially correct.  Portions of the funds also went for cars, shopping sprees, dinners, manicures, etc.

In 2007, the Meijer supermarket chain ran afoul of Michigan's disclosure laws by not revealing its spending to sway the outcome of a recall election for Michigan's Acme Township Board after the company's management didn't like the board's zoning decisions. Michigan's secretary of state later fined the supermarket company $190,000 for this and its activities related to a 2005 referendum. But such enforcement actions are rare in Michigan; much more often, corporations can change public and legislative opinion in ways that may not violate any laws. In 2008, undisclosed donors plunged millions of dollars into a fiercely fought and ostensibly nonpartisan battle over electing a Michigan Supreme Court justice.

That was Maura Corrigan when she was trying to be Chief Justice ($80,000 I know about).  For her 2006 election she had tons of non-disclosed money dumped into her campaign, mostly from religious organizations with state contracts in child welfare services.  Seriously, try and pull up her campaign finance disclosures.

More recently, the owners of the Ambassador Bridge and their allies sought to influence legislators to vote against a proposal to build a new, government-owned bridge to Canada. Colleagues of state Rep. Rashida Tlaib in Lansing, Mich., have pointedly told her they would rather remain silent on the bridge issue rather than risk the ire of the Detroit International Bridge Co., which owns the Ambassador Bridge, Tlaib said.

Manny has money and Manny gets bored.

"Sometimes my colleagues will say, well, I don't want to upset the bridge company because I don't want them to upset my election," said Tlaib, whose district includes the Ambassador Bridge and who has long tangled with its owner. "That's the scary part of having corporations bully our public servants through the threat of recall or funneling money to various opponents."

Tlaib said Gov. Rick Synder told her he was shocked by the ability of the Ambassador's owners to unite state legislators, the Koch brothers and the New Black Panther Nation to stand against a competing bridge proposal by spreading money around.

None of it comes as a surprise to Rich Robinson, who tracks spending on undisclosed financing of "issue ads" for the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. Since 2000 he has watched the posting of about $70 million in TV advertisements that skirt the state campaign finance disclosure system. Other states put stricter limits on such ads, he said, but in Michigan the secretary of state has effectively "given itself a lobotomy at interpreting stuff."

And it's not just advertisements; lobbyists in the state capital of Lansing can get away with quite a lot without registering any of their transactions with state regulators.

That is because the state Attorney General is too busy defending the false claims of its state contracts. It's like this, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is warehoused in the Attorney General's Office.  That would mean there is an inherent conflict of interest because the Attorney General is not just prosecuting fraudulent and fake child welfare and juvenile justice cases, it is also defending the fraudulent and false activities of these child welfare institutions.  There are so many antitrust violations in child welfare services contracting that it makes perfect since to just let HHS penalize Michigan by decreasing the federal financial participation rate in Medicaid.  It makes more money to let the feds cut off a percentage of Medicaid dollars because the state can make it up through false claims in child welfare.


That is why Maura Corrigan jumped ship and took over as the Director for Department of Human Services.  She knows how to cover up.

"There's really no meaningful disclosure of what lobbyists are spending courting officeholders and administration officials," Robinson said. "Semi-controlled bribery is, I think, an apt description."

Gov. Snyder and Democrats in the state capitol have proposed ethics packages in the form of new legislation. For her part, Benson is proposing the passage of a "Corporate Accountability Amendment" to the Michigan Constitution to impose limits on some of that behind-the-scenes undisclosed financing. But all of those efforts face an uphill battle, and Benson's amendment, if passed, would not go into effect until at least 2014.

In child welfare, this will never apply.  Child welfare activities are secret, including the fraud, murders, false claims, you name it.

Until then, Michigan's leaders have plenty of cleaning up to do. In separate rankings, Michigan received an F in each of the following categories: executive accountability, judicial accountability, state civil service management, state pension fund management, state insurance commissions, political financing, legislative accountability, lobbying disclosure, ethics enforcement agencies and redistricting.  You forgot child welfare.