Tales Of The New Crown: When Will Matt Schneider Present His Real Time Review Of Gretchen Whitmer's Cooties Orders?

Ok, whatever you do, do not tell anyone the review was done in real time.

Michigan Legislature Going Into Session To Revoke Governor Whitmer’s Emergency Powers

Whitmer plans reopening steps, faces fight over emergency powers

Feds tap Schneider in review of COVID-19 orders amid fight with Whitmer

Matt got his hair whipped & laid. I wonder if Trey referred him.

Detroit — Federal prosecutors on Monday started reviewing whether restrictions enacted by state and local officials to curtail the spread of COVID-19 are violating citizens' civil rights and liberties.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announced the sweeping measures that followed criticism from President Donald Trump who has sparred in recent weeks with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

On Monday, Barr tapped the top law enforcement officer in Metro Detroit, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, to oversee a review of state and local orders — a review that could overturn measures that have included broad restrictions on businesses and other economic activity.

Trump nominated Schneider to serve as the region's top federal law enforcement officer in 2018.

"Many policies that would be unthinkable in regular times have become commonplace in recent weeks, and we do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public," Barr wrote in a memorandum Monday.

"But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must, therefore, be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved, at the same time that the public is protected."

Schneider oversees federal prosecutions in a region battered by COVID-19. As of Monday, 73% of Michigan's COVID-19 cases were in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

“Across the country, many officials are imposing limitations on our rights in order to safely navigate citizens through the pandemic," Schneider said in a statement to The Detroit News on Monday.

"But these restrictions must be both reasonable and temporary.”

In his memo Monday, Barr said the Justice Department review will focus on the constitutionality of state and local laws imposed during the pandemic.

“If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court,” Barr wrote.

Kelly Rossman-McKinney, a spokeswoman for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, pushed against the federal moves Monday.

"As a former deputy attorney general for the State of Michigan, we’re confident that U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider is familiar with the concept of state sovereignty and the state’s power to make autonomous decisions for its citizens, without interference from the federal government," Rossman-McKinney said. "To the extent it becomes necessary though, my department stands ready to make those same arguments to a court."

Whitmer on Monday outlined her next steps for reopening the state's economy, saying construction and other low-risk workplaces will soon see loosened restrictions.

But the Democratic governor also announced she's seeking a 28-day extension of her emergency declaration from the Michigan Legislature, which is scheduled to meet this week.

Her declaration would expire Friday, but there's debate over what that would actually mean for executive powers. On Monday, Whitmer said her emergency powers don't depend on an extension from the Legislature.

Trump during his press briefing Monday was asked whether the federal government would sue states over their orders of restriction. He said it would depend on the circumstances of the state.

"(Barr) wants to see people get back and wants to see people get back to work," Trump said. "He doesn't want people to be held up when there's no reason for doing it. And in some cases, perhaps it's too strict. He wants to make sure people have their rights."

Trump was asked how America should be reopened and whether restrictions could be reimposed. The president said he's relying on the country's governors on those matters.

"From the beginning, the governors — some of them — are doing an extraordinary job — not all of them — but some of them," he said.

An attempt to overturn orders imposed by Whitmer and other state and local officials likely will require a federal lawsuit, said Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor.

“I suspect there is a political aspect to this,” Henning told The News. “(Trump) wants the states to open up. But governors have authority over when states are going to open up and when businesses will restart. I’m not sure that’s going to be an easy lawsuit to bring.

“States have police powers and are separate sovereigns,” Henning added. “Typically, the Justice Department doesn’t have that inherent authority, but they can file their lawsuits. How far that’s going to go remains to be seen.”

Last week, Whitmer extended her stay-at-home order through May 15, while lifting certain restrictions on businesses and outdoor activities.

The order allows individuals to travel between two residences in Michigan, including to a new home, though Whitmer strongly discouraged such travel during the coronavirus pandemic. A ban on travel to vacation rentals remains in place.

She is also allowing motorized boating and golfing (without motorized carts) as long as people observe "strict" social distancing protocols to remain six feet apart from one another. Also open now are lawn services, garden shops, landscapers and nurseries.

Michigan now has 38,210 confirmed cases of the virus and 3,407 deaths linked to it, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Avern Cohn - One Of The Original Old School Civil Rights Legal Dogs Celebrates His Birthday In Detroit

"Happy Birthday, Original Old Dog!
Show the world how we do it in
Detroit."

Happy Birthday, Precious!

I would pop by and grab a few coneys for the boys, but that may be a bit awkward for some.

Instead, from afar, I send my love and shall see you soon.

Yes, there is a complete volume of Civil Rights that is being suppressed by the #coloredrevolution, but fear not, for I am recording the fall of the heavens.

At nearly 95, Judge Avern Cohn 'calls it the way he sees it'

AVERN COHN, ON THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT BENCH SINCE 1979, HAS AN INTELLECT AS KEEN AS GINZU KNIVES, EVEN AS HE TRIES TO GET A HANDLE ON HIS TEMPERAMENT

Detroit — The first time Matthew Schneider met Judge Avern Cohn, Cohn threw him out of the courtroom. But that's not the point of the story.

Avern Cohn, One of the Original
Old School Civil Rights Legal Dogs

The point is what happened next — and what happened next helps explain why there will be a throng in that same federal courtroom Tuesday, eating Coneys and raising plastic cups to Cohn's 95th birthday.

They'll be toasting an eventful near-century.

A medical school dropout, as he likes to put it, Cohn is legendary for his blasts of temper, but also renowned for his ability and his intelligence.

He represented looters for free after the 1967 uprising, served as a Detroit police commissioner when that meant working to integrate the force, had his name taken in vain in an Elmore Leonard novel, and keeps quasi-effective hand-written reminders taped to the low ledge that stands between his stern gaze and a parade of nervous attorneys:

"Keep cool!!!"

My first drawing of Avi

"He who angers you controls you."

"No matter how high the throne, there sits but an ass!"

Cohn has been on the U.S. District Court bench since 1979, and you hate to say he's still sharp because that's a low-threshold term you use for someone who can keep track of four bingo cards.

“He calls it the way he sees it, and we need more of that in this world.”

MATTHEW SCHNEIDER, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
He carries a full caseload. He reads six newspapers a day and gives three news sites one last check before bed. He has an intellect and a tongue as keen as Ginzu knives, even as he's trying to get a handle on the temperament.

He has "a relentlessly curious mind," as former chief judge Gerald Rosen puts it, and a history of important cases.

And he has Schneider, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, as a friend.

Schneider is 45, still less than half Cohn's age. At 29, he was four years out of law school and new on the federal prosecutor's staff, at a hearing for a case about human smuggling.

The details aren't vital. What's important, he says, is that he made a mistake and Cohn "invited me in no uncertain terms to leave his courtroom."

Schneider was stricken, he says. He thought his career was over. Then the phone rang.

It was Cohn. They met that day, Schneider says, and had a long, open talk about procedures, judicial philosophy and history.

They're still talking: Schneider an appointee of Donald Trump, Cohn an appointee of Jimmy Carter, both striving for honesty, even if their methods of delivery aren't quite the same.

"My philosophy is about candor," Schneider says. "Judge Cohn's philosophy is about candor.

Judge Cohn keeps notes to himself on the bench
inside his courtroom to help keep perspective on the cases before him.

"He calls it the way he sees it, and we need more of that in this world."

Finding satisfaction
The way Cohn sees it, it would be wrong to enjoy his job.

He's devoted to it, and he has no plans to step away from it, even if his steps these days involve a walker. But lives change in room 218, often for the worse, and it would be inappropriate to take pleasure in that.

"I find satisfaction," he says, in a well-reasoned decision, a thoughtful application of the law or a solid instruction to a jury.

He is pleased as well when he is moved to change his mind, as he did earlier this month; having taken a stand in a case about city liability, he kept reading and pondering and invited the opposing side to file another brief.

"Wisdom is in short supply," he likes to say. "The fact that it comes late is no reason to reject it."

A recent morning docket included what appeared to be a routine sentencing for a chronic drug abuser who had assaulted a fellow resident of the federal prison in Milan.

“Wisdom is in short supply. The fact that it comes late is no reason to reject it.”

JUDGE AVERN COHN
Partway through, wisdom once again made an appearance. Wouldn't it be better, Cohn asked, for the judge who would handle sentencing on the defendant's latest drug case to also decide on his punishment for the kicks and punches?

Cohn's sentence, he said, might affect the decision of the other judge. Or it might not. But true justice demanded patience.

The defendant, his legs shackled, shuffled away. Cohn, leaning on a railing, labored down the two steps from the bench to his waiting walker.

Outside the courtroom, the defendant's attorney said, "I love Judge Cohn."

Alvin Sallen, 70, comes from a family of lawyers. His father and uncle both practiced in Cohn's court.

"He has no reluctance to do what he thinks is right," Sallen said. "Part of me would love to go to trial in front of him someday."

The other part probably knows about the taped-up notes, and the reason Cohn posted them.

'Excitable, forceful'
Cohn was born in Detroit. His mother, Sadie, was a homemaker, and his dad, Irwin, eventually became the fourth name on the door at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn.

Cohn enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1942, just in time to have his academic career waylaid by World War II. The Army sent him to engineering school, abandoned the program and redirected him to pre-med classes.

Discharged in 1946, he says, he gave medicine six more weeks, then enrolled in law school.

“Always remember that the lawyers have as much right to be in the courtroom as the judge!”

NOTE ON JUDGE COHN'S DESK
Amid three decades of practice, he volunteered as a lawyer with the ACLU, aligned with various other civic and political causes, and came to the attention of the Detroit Police Red Squad, whose dossier on him turned out to be boring — some newspaper clippings, he has said, and maybe a surveillance report.

He'd been angling for a federal judgeship for more than a decade before Carter finally chose him. At one point, he was torpedoed by Sen. Donald Riegle, a fellow Democrat, who questioned his temperament.

"He was right," Cohn later told the federal court's historical society. "I was militant, excitable, forceful, occasionally probably interrupted people, occasionally irritated people."

Today, he says he has changed. At least a little. Or anyway, he has tried. But it's a resoundingly bad idea to come to his courtroom unprepared.

'No limitations'
Another note taped to the bench: "Always remember that the lawyers have as much right to be in the courtroom as the judge!"

He wants to act that way, he says. Honest.

"I've cooled down," he contends. "Age. But every so often, I get impatient."

The years, Cohn says, have done the usual things to his body. He doesn't offer specifics, but he shakes hands like someone with aching fingers. Though he hires a driver for the commute to and from his home in Birmingham, he says that's to give him more time to read; on weekends, he pilots a Cadillac SUV.

Avern Cohn, Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, talks in his courtroom at the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse.
Avern Cohn, Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, talks in his courtroom at the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse.
(Photo: David Guralnick, The Detroit News)

Doctors have told him to eat or drink more protein, says his judicial assistant of 15 years, Lori Van Hove. They suggested Ensure, but he hated it, so she slipped him some of her Atkins chocolate shakes until he decided he didn't want those, either.

Van Hove will catch him sneaking a Diet Coke, "and I'll look at him and be like, 'Judge?'"

Whatever he's doing, or avoiding, Cohn says he's fine where it counts.

"So far," he says, "as far as I can tell, I have no mental limitations."

Rosen, who's now a principal in a mediation service, concurs.

"He's brilliant," Rosen says. "He's an icon and a legend. And a force of nature."

Within nature, says Detroit Zoo CEO Ron Kagan, Cohn is something else entirely.

In the late 1990s, Kagan led a photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania for civic leaders and zoo donors. Among them was Cohn, his authoritative presence and "probably the most well-read person I know," Kagan says.

At the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, he says, the spectacle of elephants, zebras and giraffes "brought tears to Avern's eyes."

Travel is one of the pursuits kept in Cohn's past, along with sailing and tennis

“He's brilliant. He's an icon and a legend. And a force of nature.”

GERALD ROSEN, RETIRED CHIEF JUDGE, US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
Now he does what his health will dependably allow, which is hear cases.

Officially, he's been on senior status since 1999. Effectively, he's doing exactly what he did before.

He's technologically adept enough to serve as a visiting judge in California without leaving his chambers in Detroit, but he refuses to send emails. Instead, he mails letters — "some of the most beautiful, thoughtful, kind notes I've gotten from anybody," Rosen says.

Also in contrast, he was malleable enough to pay for an official portrait at the urging of his wife, Lois Pincus Cohn, who owned an art gallery in Birmingham until four years ago.

The painting is a judicial tradition.

But he's either modest or stubborn enough that it moldered in a courthouse closet for 12 years, until Rosen insisted he let it hang on another judge's wall.

In another art form, he had no options.

At a Michigan Opera Theatre benefit, Cohn bid $1,500 to have Leonard attach his name to a character. The Detroit News was given an advance copy of "Mr. Paradise" in late 2003 and called to tell him about his role: a greasy lawyer who served as the agent for a pair of blue-collar hit men.

"Oy," Cohn said. "Oy, oy, oy."

Chili dogs and pizza
The flesh-and-blood Avern Cohn presided over the case of former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers, who drew 37 months for taking bribes.

Thirty years ago, he struck down UM's anti-hate-speech code, determining that it was too broad. He dismissed criminal charges against a UM student who had published fantasies about violent crimes against women on the Internet, and declined to jail Nada Prouty, a Lebanese immigrant an FBI and CIA operative accused of sharing secrets with her brother-in-law.

Across four decades, he has taken another firm stand a few blocks from the courthouse: Lafayette Coney Island over American.

He's held a lunchtime open house there on his birthday every year since his appointment. Van Hove, ruling that Tuesday's celebration will be too large for the space, instead hired Lafayette to set up a grill and chili pot in Cohn's jury room.

"I could live on chili dogs and pizza," Cohn says. Unfortunately, the women in his life — his wife of 27 years, and assistant of 15 — won't allow it. They're not big on sweets, either, though he keeps a deep bowl of candy on his desk for visitors.

But a fellow only turns 95 once, and his objection has been duly noted. Van Hove cleared his schedule for the afternoon, she says, and he can eat whatever he wants.

Then Wednesday, he'll be back at work, the way he always is.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

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."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Eric Smith Believes Matt Schneider Is Stupid Because He Solicited More Co-conspirators To Lie To One Of The Federal Grand Juries In Detroit

Seriously!?!

Really???

Dude, what part of this do you not understand?

It is not nice to lie to the feds.

You probably pissed Matt off because I am very disappointed in you, considering that you are a licensed attorney. <=====HINT

I wonder what Joe Biden had to say about this....

Oh, wait, I forgot, he is doing the same damn thing...

This is about Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare.

This is about the industry of trafficking tiny humans.

This is about gerrymandering.

This is about to get very dark, and very deep.

https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=Macomb+County

#maytheheavensfall

Feds unveil charges against ex-Macomb prosecutor Smith

Eric Smith

Detroit — Former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith was charged Wednesday with obstructing a federal investigation into whether he stole campaign funds, capping a steep fall for one of the region's top law enforcement officials.

Smith has agreed to plead guilty to one count of obstruction of justice, a 20-year felony, after a prolonged period of turmoil that included a raid at his home, his resignation six months ago and questions about whether he illegally spent campaign money.

Smith tried to get a friend and two unidentified assistant county prosecutors to lie to a federal grand jury and FBI investigators who concluded he orchestrated two fraud schemes to steal $75,000 from his political campaign fund, prosecutors said Wednesday. Smith used the money for personal expenses from 2012 to this year, authorities allege.

Macomb County prosecutor Eric Smith
The 53-year-old Democrat from Macomb Township is the highest-ranking public official ensnared in a years-long federal crackdown on corruption in Macomb County. Since 2016, federal prosecutors have secured the convictions of 22 contractors and public officials, including former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds, trash mogul Chuck Rizzo and towing titan Gasper Fiore. Former county Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco is awaiting trial on corruption charges.

The case against Smith focuses on lies and campaign cash. Smith controlled the campaign fund, telling donors the money would be used for his re-election, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said.

"Sometimes that was true," Schneider said, "but sometimes that was a lie. It was a fraud. That is because Mr. Smith stole money from his campaign account and used it for his own personal whims."

Smith will plead guilty to one count of obstruction of justice, his lawyers Martin Crandall and John Dakmak said in a statement Wednesday.

“Never did I trade justice for money or any other benefit,” Smith said in a statement Wednesday. “Let me be absolutely clear: The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office was never for sale under my watch. I acted irresponsibly and recklessly, and I will be held accountable for my actions. However, I never compromised when it came to protecting the citizens of Macomb County and prosecuting criminals.”

The criminal charge was announced six months after The Detroit News exclusively reported that Smith had resigned while pursuing a deal to plead guilty to forthcoming federal corruption charges.

Smith's lawyers were negotiating with federal prosecutors to resolve a corruption investigation that coincided with a separate state probe that in March led to the Michigan Attorney General's Office filing racketeering charges against the county's top law enforcement officer. Smith and three others were accused of participating in a scheme to embezzle $600,000 in county forfeiture funds.

Smith had approximately $55,000 in checks written from his campaign account that was purportedly for renting a campaign office, the U.S. Attorney said Wednesday.

"But that was a sham," Schneider said.

An unidentified associate cashed the checks and gave Smith the money "for Smith's own enjoyment," Schneider said.

In 2016, Smith gave a $20,000 check to an unidentified assistant prosecutor. That person gave $15,000 to Smith "for his own personal expenses" and kept the rest, Schneider said.

Smith also tried to cover up the crimes, the U.S. Attorney said.

In September 2019, Smith learned a grand jury was investigating the use of his campaign account and that FBI agents were planning to interview his associates, Schneider said.

"Smith tried to convince his associate to falsely tell the FBI that the $55,000 kicked back to Smith was simply a loan that Smith would repay."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

DOJ: Nineteen Individuals Indicted In $41 Million Illegal Opioid Distribution Conspiracy

A Clinic Owner, Four Doctors, Two Nurse Practitioners and Three Pharmacists among Those Indicted

An indictment was unsealed today charging nineteen individuals with conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription drugs, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.

U.S. Attorney Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

The 44-count indictment charges defendants with an alleged drug conspiracy involving prescription drug controlled substances including Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Percocet), Hydrocodone, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, promethazine with codeine cough syrup, and other drugs.

Charged in the indictment are:

John Henry Rankin, III, 46, Detroit,                                  

Dr. Beth Carter, 56, Southfield,

Dr. Robert Kenewell, 52, Auburn Hills,

Dr. Jason Brunt, 50, Clawson,

Dr. John Swan, 30, St. Clair Shores,

Nurse Practitioner, Jean Pinkard, 63, Farmington Hills

Nurse Practitioner Toni Green, 58, St. Clair Shores,

Fitzgerald Hudson, 60, Southfield,

Virendra Gaidhane, 49, Troy

Pharmacist, Maksudali Saiyad, 65, Troy

Pharmacist Adeniyi Adepoju, 61, Warren,

Pharmacist Ali Sabbagh, 36, Dearborn Heights

Robert King, 38, Taylor,

Jermaine Hamblin, 36, Roseville,

Sonya Mitchell, 50, Southfield,

Lavar Carter, 56, Southfield,

Robert Lee Dower, Jr., 49, Eastpointe

Denise Sailes, 51, Detroit, and

Dewayne Bason, 28, Detroit

The indictment alleges that from September 2017 through June 2020, John Henry Rankin, III, owner of New Vision Rehab and Preferred Rehab clinics would provide monetary remuneration and other illegal benefits to Dr. Beth Carter, Dr. Robert Kenewell, Dr. Jason Brunt, Dr. John Swan, Nurse Practitioner Jean Pinkard and Nurse Practitioner Toni Green to induce them to write prescriptions for “fake” patients, who did not have a legitimate medical need for the drugs.  Rankin also allegedly provided monetary remuneration to an unlicensed medical professional, who was not legally authorized to prescribe controlled substances or practice as doctor, who would pose as a doctor and issue pre-signed controlled substance prescriptions in the names of other providers.

It is alleged that the medical professionals named in the indictment prescribed more than 1,951,148 dosage units of Schedule II controlled substances.  The prescribed Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, alone, carried a conservative street value of more than $41 million. Oxycodone and Oxymorphone are two of the most addictive opioids and they have high street value.  Patients were recruited into the conspiracy by patient recruiters or “marketers,” to include Robert King and Jermaine Hamblin.

The indictment further alleges that during this conspiracy, prescriptions were presented to Detroit New Hope Pharmacy (owner Virendra Gaidhane, pharmacist Maksudali Saiyad, pharmacy tech Dewayne Bason), Synergy Pharmacy (pharmacy technician Dewayne  Bason), Nottingham Pharmacy (owner Virendra Gaidhane), Crownz Medical Pharmacy (pharmacist Adeniyi Adepoju), Franklin Healthmart (pharmacist Ali Sabbagh).  Some of the pharmacists would bill insurers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers, for dispensing the medications, despite the fact that the medications were medically unnecessary. Other times, the pharmacists accepted cash from the recruiters for filling and dispensing medications. 

According to the indictment, the pharmacies dispensed more than 58,725 dosage units of Schedule II controlled substances prescribed by the medical professionals listed in the indictment.

“Prescription drugs are supposed to go to people who truly need them, not to fake patients or people selling drugs on the streets,” United States Attorney Matthew Schneider said. “We are focusing on charging doctors, pharmacists, and the networks that add to the opioid crisis, and this case is unfortunately yet another example of the serious problem facing Michigan.”

Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Field Division, stated, “These enforcement actions and others like them around the country, demonstrate our commitment to prosecuting licensed professionals who flood communities with addictive legal drugs for their own personal benefit”

“Today’s indictments are the result of healthcare professionals allegedly contributing to the devastating opioid crisis instead of working toward its solution. The public expects and deserves more from them,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan.

 “The opioid epidemic continues to have a harmful impact on many people across this country”, said Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General – Chicago Region. “Medical professionals who choose to participate in schemes as alleged in this indictment only exacerbate the problem. The OIG will continue to dedicate and prioritize resources to the investigation of allegations of this nature in an effort to ensure the health and safety of patients and taxpayer dollars.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandy R. McMillion and Mitra Jafary-Hariri.  The Eastern District of Michigan is one of the twelve districts included in the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit, a Department of Justice initiative created by Attorney General Sessions, that uses data to target and prosecute individuals that are contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.

The case was investigated by special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Tales Of The New Crown: Michigan State Contractor Charged in $2 million Unemployment Fraud Scheme

Just in the nick of time!

People were in panic from fear of eviction for failure to pay rent, but, now, everything will be wonderful, just as soon as everyone understands that it will probably be another 19 weeks before any of the unemployment funds are released.

I hope it is soon because it just rained again, meaning, Detroit residents are looking at a $200 and up sewage bill this month.

I did not mention the rain from last month, but I will considering that I received a $600 sewage bill.

Just think, all that unemployment money will be going to the next round of Wayne County fake ass property tax foreclosures.

If you find the theft of $2 million during a pandemic to be a bold and egregious move against humanity, just wait until you find out about the other State of Michigan Public Private Partnerships in Medicaid fraud schemes in child welfare.

$2 million t'is but a drop in the bucket, and I do not mean rainwater.

#maytheheavensfall

A Detroit woman was charged in a criminal complaint for her alleged role in a multi-million dollar unemployment insurance fraud scheme aimed at defrauding the State of Michigan and the U.S. Government of funds earmarked for unemployment assistance during the COVID19 pandemic, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.

Joining in the announcement were Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Douglas J. Zloto, US Secret Service, Richard Sheehan, Acting Postal Inspector in Charge of the Detroit Division, Special Agent in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Sarah Kull, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Jeffrey Frost, Special Fraud Advisor, Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Unemployment Insurance Agency.

Charged is Brandi Hawkins, 39.

According to the complaint, Brandi Hawkins was a contract employee for the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.  Her duties included reviewing, processing and verifying the legitimacy of unemployment insurance claims.

Beginning in April, 2020, it is alleged that Hawkins used her insider access to fraudulently release payment on hundreds of fraudulent claims.  Hawkins actions resulted in the fraudulent disbursement of over $2,000,000 of federal and state funds intended for unemployment assistance during the pandemic.  Over $200,000 in cash was seized from her residence during a search warrant.  Hawkins is alleged to have used proceeds from her crimes to purchase high-end handbags and other luxury goods.

”Brandi Hawkins is charged with exploiting the current pandemic to defraud the State of Michigan and United States for her own personal gain.  These are serious allegations, and my office is committed to prosecuting any person who attempts to use the Covid-19 crisis to defraud the people of Michigan,” stated US Attorney Matthew Schneider.

“The U.S. Secret Service is currently focused on criminals attempting to exploit the American people during these unprecedented times of record unemployment due to the pandemic. It is especially egregious when someone in a position of trust, working for an agency created to assist the residents of the State of Michigan, takes advantage of those during their time of need. We will continue to work with our federal and state partners to bring these perpetrators to justice”, said Douglas Zloto, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service - Detroit Field Office.

“An important mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance benefit programs.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of unemployment insurance benefit programs,” stated Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

“Brandi Hawkins’ alleged actions are incredibly selfish and without regard for her fellow Michiganders in dire need of financial assistance,” said Sarah Kull, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office.  “IRS-CI will not hesitate to thoroughly investigate any COVID19 related fraud and bring those offenders to justice.”

Richard Sheehan, Acting Postal Inspector in Charge of the Detroit Division said, “This investigation was an excellent example of a partnership between federal law enforcement agencies, working together to bring down this fraud conspiracy. I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all of the agencies involved, which resulted in bringing Brandi Hawkins to justice.”

“We appreciate U.S. Attorney Schneider‘s quick action to bring this case to justice. The Unemployment Insurance Agency will continue to work closely with state and federal partners to identify unemployment fraud that can be quickly turned over to law enforcement for prosecution,” stated Jeffrey Frost, Special Fraud Advisor, Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Unemployment Insurance Agency.

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint.  When the investigation is completed a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Wyse. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, United States Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Unemployment Insurance Agency, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

DOJ Busts $131 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme, But Where Did All The Money Go?

Now, the $131 million dollar question is: "Where did all the money go?"

Michigan Clinic Office Manager Pleads Guilty to $131 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Unnecessary Prescription of Controlled Substances

A Michigan clinic office manager pleaded guilty today for his role in a health care fraud scheme that involved the unnecessary prescription of controlled substances and that resulted in a $131 million loss to Medicare.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios of the FBI’s Detroit Division, Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office and Special Agent in Charge Manny Muriel of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

Yasser Mozeb, 35, of Oakland County, Michigan, the office manager of the Tri-County Network, based in Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks, before U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood of the Eastern District of Michigan.  Sentencing has been scheduled for May 31 at 2 pm EST before Judge Hood. 

“With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said Attorney General Sessions. “Sadly, some have chosen to take advantage of this crisis and exploit vulnerable patients for profit. At the Department of Justice we’ve taken a number of new steps this past year to fight opioid-related fraud. Today we have won another victory in this fight and I want to thank our FBI agents, DOJ attorneys, and everyone else who helped us bring the defendant to justice.” 

“Prescribing unneeded drugs in exchange for kickbacks are not just crimes of greed, they are crimes that make Michigan’s opioid crisis even worse — and that is why our office will relentlessly pursue these cases,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider.

“Healthcare fraud schemes involving the prescribing of unnecessary prescription drugs, performing of extraneous medical procedures, and fraudulent billing practices continue to plague southeastern Michigan communities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Gelios.  “Today’s guilty plea underscores the level of commitment that the FBI and its federal partners devote in holding accountable those responsible, along with their co-conspirators.”

“It is unconscionable that Mozeb and his coconspirators would put patients’ health at risk and potentially exacerbate the opioid epidemic,” said HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Pugh. “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will work tirelessly to hold these criminals accountable.”

As part of his guilty plea, Mozeb admitted that he conspired with the owner of the Tri-County Network, Mashiyat Rashid, to pay illegal kickbacks and bribes to Medicare beneficiaries, co-conspirator patient recruiters and others, in order to obtain patients for the Tri-County Network.  Mozeb also admitted that he participated in a scheme with Rashid and other co-conspirators to prescribe medically unnecessary controlled substances, which allegedly included oxycodone, hydrocodone and oxymorphone,  to Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom were addicted to narcotics.  He admitted that in furtherance of the conspiracy, coconspirators also directed physicians to require Medicare beneficiaries to undergo medically unnecessary facet joint injections if the beneficiaries wished to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances. 

Mozeb admitted that he and Rashid conspired with physicians in the Tri-County Network to refer Medicare beneficiaries to specific third party home health agencies, laboratories and diagnostic providers in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes even though those referrals were medically unnecessary. 

Mozeb was part of a conspiracy that submitted or caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare in excess of $131 million, he admitted. 

Mozeb is the fifth defendant who has pleaded guilty in connection with the Tri-County investigation.  Mozeb was charged along with Mashiyat Rashid, 37, of West Bloomfield, Michigan; Spilios Pappas, 61, of Monclova, Ohio; Abdul Haq, 72, of Ypsilanti, Michigan; Joseph Betro, 57, of Novi, Michigan; Tariq Omar, 61, of West Bloomfield, Michigan; and Mohammed Zahoor, 51 of Novi, Michigan, in an indictment unsealed on July 6, 2017.  Rashid, Pappas, Betro, Omar and Zahoor are awaiting trial.  

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

This case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG and IRS-CI.  Trial Attorney Jacob Foster of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case. 

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion. 

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

DOJ: Friend-of-the-Court Brief in Support of Free Speech Challenge to California's COVID-19 Ban on In-Person Political Protests Filed While MIED Matt Schneider Reviews Constitutionality Of Whitmer Executive Orders

Q: When is an Executive Order unconstitutional?

A:  When the Executive is illegitimate, being unduly elected.

Boo Boo Barr may not like the findings, but hey, what do I know?

I ♥️ MIED.

Recent Nationwide Protests Show the Importance of Allowing Peaceful Public Assembly

The Department of Justice today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of a lawsuit by plaintiffs Ron Givens and Christine Bish, two individuals seeking to hold peaceful in-person protests of 500 to 1,000 people with social distancing on the grounds of the California State Capitol Building.

In its friend-of-the-court brief in the Ninth Circuit, the United States explains that the district court wrongly denied plaintiffs’ request for injunctive relief against California’s total ban on peaceful protests.  While States have broad authority to protect the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, the First Amendment does not give them carte blanche to ban peaceful public protests and rallies.  The brief also explains that the real and legitimate national outcry over George Floyd’s tragic killing has shown the importance of peaceful public protests to maintaining our civic fabric—and has highlighted the extreme nature of a blanket protest ban in California.  Going forward, it could raise First Amendment concerns if California were to hold other protests, such as those proposed by the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, to a different standard.

“Political speech in traditional public gathering spaces is at the core of the First Amendment’s protection of speech and assembly,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division.  “Moments of national trial reinforce the importance of the right of the people peaceably to speak and assemble.  For more than two centuries, the First Amendment has endured, and it has helped preserve the United States of America as a beacon of hope and liberty for our people and for oppressed people all over the world.  The right to protest government peacefully is at the heart of who we are as a people.  Today’s filing by the Justice Department makes clear that the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the rest of the Bill of Rights' protections remain in full force and effect at all times.”

“Now more than ever, Americans are exercising their First Amendment right to peacefully protest, and this fundamental right must be upheld even during times of national emergency,” said Matthew Schneider, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, who, with Assistant Attorney General Dreiband, is overseeing the Justice Department’s effort to monitor state and local policies relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The friend-of-the-court brief is part of Attorney General William P. Barr’s April 27, 2020 initiative directing Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider, to review state and local policies to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Givens is a firearms instructor and the director of training at the Sacramento Gun Club.  He has been seeking to hold a protest on the California State Capitol Building grounds objecting to the State’s delay, purportedly due to the COVID-19 outbreak, in conducting background checks for gun purchasers.  Bish is a resident of Sacramento County and is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2020 general election who also wishes to organize a protest relating to the State’s response to the outbreak on the California State Capitol grounds. 

On March 19, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order, which requires “all individuals living in the State of California to stay at home or at their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of operations” in various “critical infrastructure sectors.”  The executive order further requires Californians to “heed the State public health directives from the Department of Public Health.”  At the time plaintiffs filed their complaint, those directives banned “until further notice” all public gatherings of any size in any “indoor or outdoor” space, and applied to “all non-essential professional, social, and community gatherings regardless of their sponsor.”  Violations of the executive order are subject to criminal penalties.  Neither the executive order nor the directives in place when plaintiffs filed their complaint made any exceptions for First Amendment activities, such as peaceful protest.  Thus in California, all gatherings of any size protesting government action were banned.     

Following the executive order, the California Highway Patrol denied Givens’ and Bish’s applications for a permit to protest, even though they planned to practice social distancing and to require protesters to wear masks.  In their lawsuit, plaintiffs argued that the grounds of the California State Capitol Building “are the most important and widely used public forum in California” and have been the site of “[c]ountless watershed protests.”  They claimed that California’s actions “amount[ed] to a total ban on public gatherings for the purpose of engaging in First Amendment [conduct] by means of demonstrations, rallies, or protests, regardless of the measures taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the [COVID-19] virus spreading.” 

Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief, which the district court denied on the ground that California’s “total ban on public demonstrations” is consistent with the First Amendment.  On May 17, 2020, plaintiffs appealed the district court’s order to the Ninth Circuit.

Since the filing of plaintiffs’ appeal, California has announced new guidelines for political protest that, in relevant part, allow socially distant protests of a maximum of 100 attendees or 25% of the relevant area’s maximum occupancy, whichever is lower.  According to California, “[t]his limitation on attendance will be reviewed at least once every 21 days, beginning May 25, 2020,” to “assess the impacts of these imposed limits on public health and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of gatherings that implicate the First Amendment.”  Plaintiffs, who are seeking to hold protests of 500 to 1,000 attendees, are continuing to challenge California’s revised orders.

The federal case on appeal is Givens, et al. v. Newsom, et al., No. 20-15949 (9th Cir.).

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

DOJ Is In Detroit - Bill Boo Boo Barr Is Busy, Busy, Busy - Bob Bashara Is Extracted From Humanity - Someone Is Getting Leaky

Bill Boo Boo Barr is busy, busy, busy in Detroit.

I was trying to figure out what was going on with all those helicopters flying over my house, serenading me by sirens and motorcycles at night.

#maytheheavensfall

Then, this happened...



Then, this happened...



I waved, you know.

US Attorney General Barr checks in on Detroit crime — from a helicopter

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, center, visits Detroit to assess a federal crime initiative that involves 42 federal agents coming to town to help fight escalating gun violence.
The feds have arrived.

"Sir Boo Boo! You cannot stop
the heavens from falling, for
the Celestial Goddess of the
Woodshed has cast her spell
many a moons ago."

U.S. Attorney General William Barr visited Detroit on Tuesday to see for himself how a federal anti-crime operation is going, though he didn't view the massive city  up close and personal — he saw most of it from a helicopter.

The nation's top prosecutor boarded a chopper in a field outside downtown Detroit to assess a new White House initiative dubbed Operation Legend, which, in recent weeks, has brought dozens of federal agents to town to help local police fight an uptick in gun violence. During a 45-minute helicopter ride, Barr saw some of Detroit's progress and blighted neighborhoods from above, though he also saw a little bit of Detroit from inside a sports utility vehicle.

After the helicopter ride, Barr and local officials drove to the JZ Motel on the city's east side and got out and spoke with the owners and workers about how crime has affected their business. Then Barr set out for a tour of the 9th Precinct, a police station surrounded by blight and crime, the same precinct where demonstrators gathered last month to protest the officer-involved shooting death of a man who was a suspect in a quadruple shooting.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, center, met with Detroit Police officers and workers of the JZ Motel in Detroit Tuesday during a visit here to assess a federal crime initiative in the city. The Feds are sending 42 federal agents to Detroit  to help the city fight escalating gun violence.
Barr's visit to Detroit comes amid what has been a bloody summer in Detroit. Homicides are up 25% and shootings are up 51%, with nearly 380 being shot in the last two months alone, including 63 deaths — that's at least one killing a day by gunfire.

"I wouldn't call it an intervention," Barr said of the operation, adding  "I think Detroit does need an increase" in law enforcement to help fight the city's escalating gun violence.

"At the end of the day, it's about saving lives," Barr said during an interview from the back of his SUV-limo before he boarded the helicopter.

So far, 32 federal agents have arrived in Detroit. The remaining 10 are due to arrive in the fall.

The federal effort has drawn skepticism from local and state leaders and activists who question the government's motives. Black Lives Matter protesters have expressed concern that the feds may be used against peaceful protests, turning Detroit into another Portland. Others believe President Donald Trump, who announced the initiative last month, is trying to use Detroit's crime problem to win votes in November by portraying himself as the law-and-order leader.

As  NAACP President Wendell Anthony has argued: "President Trump is in the midst of his reelection campaign. He cannot have public rallies, visit key cities, hold conventions, or even take pictures in a crowd due to COVID-19."

Anthony views Operation Legend as a "political ploy" by Trump to win votes in November and to "scare suburban and city white folks into voting for him out of fear."

 "His poll numbers are tragically low," Anthony has said.

Meanwhile, Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who also rode in the helicopter with Barr, has stressed repeatedly that the crime initiative is about helping Detroit fight escalating violence. He has said he needs and welcomes the help. And the AG came to town, he said, to see how Operation Legend is working.

"He wanted to come see it up close and personal," Craig said. "This is all about crime."

Craig stressed the federal agents are already here.

"Folks are on the ground, but they're still building it up," Craig said of the federal presence.

Detroit is one of several cities that is part of Operation Legend. Federal agents are also being sent to Milwaukee, Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where escalating violence has been reported.

“Frankly, we have no choice," Trump said about sending in federal agents to these cities. "This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation."

But many local and state leaders are skeptical about Trump's motives.

"I have a lot of concern about what his intentions are," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has said, adding the election is less than three months out. "I’m concerned about his motivations here."

Nessel explained that her skepticism is based on Trump's behavior toward Michigan lawmakers, saying he has disrespected and mocked local and state leaders, including referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as "that woman from Michigan."

"He calls our cities war zones. That’s not someone coming in because he’s genuinely concerned about our populous," Nessel said. "He's not trying to help. He's trying to dominate."

Federal officials disagree.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said when he was an assistant prosecutor under President Barack Obama, federal initiatives like Operation Legend took place.

"I was doing the same thing then that we are doing now. It's the same. We are working with state and local partners," said Schneider, who believes federal law enforcement assistance is desperately needed in Detroit.

"We have more resources and tools. Who wouldn't want that? If you live in a dangerous neighborhood, you want to make it safe, and that's what we want to do,"  said Schneider, who also rode alongside Barr on the helicopter tour.

According to Schneider, Operation Legend is already seeing some progress.

"We have some active investigations going on right now," Schneider said. "We're seeing arrests. We've already taken guns off the streets and assault rifles."

Detroit chief James Deier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has argued that Detroit can't afford to turn a blind eye to the escalating gun violence.

"Senseless gun violence is taking over the streets of the Detroit," Deier has argued. "Whether we want to admit it or we want to stick our heads in the sand, at the end of the day, statistics do not lie. ... What is happening on the streets of Detroit has to end."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©