Michigan Attorney General
State Government: Executive Offices | Attorney General / Department of Justice
Recent News About Michigan Attorney General
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Former MSP Sergeant Bound Over to Stand Trial for Charges Related to Death of Samuel Sterling
62-B District Court in Kentwood, Judge Amanda H. Sterkenburg bound over retired Michigan State Police (MSP) Detective Sergeant (D/Sgt) Brian Keely, 50, of Grand Rapids, to stand trial in the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. -
Bellaire man pleads no contest to first-degree criminal sexual conduct against relative
LANSING – John Hendrickson, 59, of Bellaire, pled no contest today to four counts of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) in the 37th Circuit Court in Calhoun County. The charges stem from repeated sexual assaults on a minor relative over several years. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the plea agreement, under which Hendrickson is expected to serve 17-40 years in prison. Following his incarceration, he will be subject to lifetime electronic monitoring and sex offender registration. -
Branch County man extradited for trial on alleged sexual assaults of minor
LANSING – In the 3A District Court in Coldwater, Judge Brent Weigle has bound over Alex New, a 54-year-old Branch County resident recently extradited from Florida, to stand trial in the 15th Circuit Court on two counts of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and one count of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that New is accused of sexually assaulting a minor. -
Former ATF analyst pleads no contest to PPP loan fraud
LANSING – Tiesha Johnson, 56, formerly of Farmington Hills, pled no contest in the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County to fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the federal government, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Johnson, a former analyst for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, pled to three counts of False Pretenses, $1,000-$20,000 and agreed to pay $34,675 in restitution. -
AG Nessel Warns Consumers of Unpaid Toll Road Smishing Scam
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing a consumer alert from May warning consumers of a recent smishing scam targeting toll road users. -
Kincheloe woman sentenced to up to 60 years for murder
LANSING – Hope Snyder, 43, of Kincheloe, was sentenced today before Judge Susan Sniegowski in the 51st Circuit Court in Mason County to 35 to 60 years’ incarceration for the murder of Jeffery Grant and the killing of his two dogs by arson. The announcement was made by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Snyder pled no contest to Second Degree Murder, First Degree Arson, and two counts of Animals – Killing/Torturing Second Degree earlier this month. -
Davison man charged with bottle deposit fraud
Namir Shango, 34, of Davison, was arraigned in the 67th District Court in Saginaw on one count of False Pretenses, $50,000 to $100,000 last Wednesday. The charge is a 15-year felony for allegedly committing bottle return fraud from the Mt. Morris liquor store Valley Liquor, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. -
Redford man charged with embezzling funds from elderly grandfather
LANSING – Darius Nance, 33, of Redford, was arraigned before Magistrate Andra Richardson in the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills on one count of Embezzlement from a Vulnerable Adult – $1,000 or more but less than $20,000. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charge yesterday. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years’ incarceration and/or a fine of $10,000 or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater. -
Former Northland Mall security guards acquitted in McKenzie Cochran's death
LANSING – Today, former private security guards John Seiberling, Gaven King, and Aaron Maree were found not guilty by an Oakland County jury of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2014 death of McKenzie Cochran at Northland Mall, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. -
Retired MSP sergeant bound over for trial on charges related to Samuel Sterling's death
LANSING – In the 62-B District Court in Kentwood, Judge Amanda H. Sterkenburg has bound over retired Michigan State Police (MSP) Detective Sergeant Brian Keely, 50, of Grand Rapids, to stand trial in the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County. The announcement was made by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. -
Attorney General’s Child Support Division secures over $415 million for Michigan children
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has recognized the significant achievements of the Child Support Division, which has played a crucial role in identifying parents throughout the state who are capable of paying child support but deliberately refuse to do so. Since its establishment in 2003, the Child Support Division has made considerable progress in addressing unpaid child support through its partnership with the Friend of the Court. -
AG Nessel warns Michigan consumers about new unpaid toll road smishing scam
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has reissued a consumer alert from May, warning residents about a recent smishing scam targeting toll road users. The scam involves deceptive text messages claiming the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls from SunPass, a Florida-based electronic toll collection system. The fraudulent texts also threaten a $50 late fee if the balance is not settled immediately. It is important to note that SunPass does not send such messages. -
AG Nessel Partners with National Labor Relations Board to Strengthen Worker Protections
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) with the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Regional Directors from Board Regions 7-Detroit and 18-Minneapolis to strengthen worker protections. -
AG Nessel, County Prosecutors Announce "Operation Survivor Justice,” Partnership with U.S. Marshals Service
The initiative, a partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local County Prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service, is working to locate, apprehend, and return to Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants. -
Detroit man pleads guilty to embezzling over $60K from circuit court judge
Steven Allen, 43, of Detroit, pled guilty today to one count of embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000 and one count of financial transaction device—stealing/retaining without consent in the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County. The announcement was made by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Allen had been charged in January with four felonies for embezzling more than $60,000 from a sitting Circuit Court judge. Under the plea agreement, Allen is required to pay $64,651.74 in restitution and serve three years of probation. -
Alpena man sentenced for making false claims against state police troopers
LANSING – Today, Thomas VanDuinen, 72, of Alpena, was sentenced by Judge Edward Black in the 26th Circuit Court in Alpena County to 17 months to 4 years’ incarceration for three counts of Report of a Felony and an additional consecutive sentence of 23 months to 7 years’ incarceration for one count of Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. VanDuinen, who was found guilty by an Alpena County jury of making false claims against Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers during the execution of a 2021 search warrant, will also serve a... -
Rashad Trice sentenced to life for murder of two-year-old
LANSING – Rashad Maleek Trice, 27, of Lansing, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by Judge Joyce Draganchuk in the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Ingham County for the 2023 murder of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the sentencing. Trice was also given a concurrent sentence of 60-90 years' incarceration for the violent assault of Wynter’s mother. He pled guilty in July to one count each of First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. -
Federal appeals court denies rehearing request on Line 5 lawsuit
On August 16, 2024, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Enbridge Energy's request for a rehearing of its June decision to remand back to a Michigan state court the Attorney General’s lawsuit aimed at shutting down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The announcement was made by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The federal court was unpersuaded by Enbridge’s petition for rehearing en banc, which sought to have the entire bench of judges in the Court of Appeals re-hear the case previously decided by a three-judge panel. Consequently, the case, Nessel v. Enbridge,... -
AG Nessel responds to lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban on conversion therapy
LANSING – In response to a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s state ban on the practice of conversion therapy on minors, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a brief opposing the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the ban. The lawsuit was filed in July by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties and an individual psychologist in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, against defendants including Governor Whitmer, Attorney General Nessel, several state agency directors, and numerous individual... -
Director of Autism Center Pleads Guilty to the Unauthorized Practice of a Health Profession, Identity Theft, and Witness Intimidation
On Tuesday, Kimberly Coden, 38, of Berkley, pled guilty in the 44th Circuit Court in Livingston County before Judge Suzanne Geddis to multiple felonies related to impersonating a health care professional and witness intimidation, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.