Public Corruption

Michael was a top public corruption prosecutor in the Detroit United States Attorney’s Office for well over a decade, handling the office’s most high profile and challenging corruption cases, including the investigation and trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Apart from his unparalleled knowledge of and experience with public corruption laws, Michael is seasoned and adept in dealing with the media who come with the territory in these cases. It is common in public corruption cases that individuals and corporations are implicated in paying corrupt politicians, either through a campaign donation or payments to a non-profit entity associated with the official. These individuals and companies face the real prospect of being indicted. Michael is acutely aware of the nuances between those who are willingly paying bribes (and therefore guilty of a crime) and those who were pressured to pay corrupt officials and qualify as victims of extortion who are not chargeable with a crime.