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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*

December 21, 2023




*Media Contact:
*Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






Anne and Rob Minard Charged with Conducting a Criminal Enterprise amid Chatfield Probe 





*LANSING – *Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Anne and Robert (Rob) Minard for their role in misappropriating funds from three non-profits and a Political Action Committee tied to former Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield. 

They have each been charged as follows: 


* One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise; a 20-year felony; 
* One Count of Conspiracy to Conduct a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony; 
* Three counts of False Pretenses - $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, 5-year felonies; 
* One count of False Pretenses - $20,000 or more but less than $50,000, a 15-year felony; 
* One count of Embezzlement - $100,000.00 or more; a 20-year felony, and  
* One Count of Filing a False Tax Return; a 5-year felony. 

Anne Minard has also been charged [ [link removed] ] individually with: 


* Two counts of Embezzlement - $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 from a non-profit or charitable organization, a 10-year felony; and 
* Two counts of False Pretenses - $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, each 5-year felonies. 

And Rob Minard has been charged [ [link removed] ] individually with one additional count of False Pretenses - $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, a 5-year felony. 

“With today’s charges, we allege that Anne and Rob Minard didn’t just skirt around Michigan’s anemic regulation of political spending, but knowingly, willingly and overtly violated the law for their own personal enrichment,” said Nessel during a press conference announcing the charges held earlier today.  “We believe that the Minards financially exploited and defrauded these entities through a sophisticated pattern of improper reimbursements, double billing, misrepresenting expenses, and falsifying records.   

“While our pending major public integrity investigations have not yet concluded, the facts of this case serve to reinforce how the current laws regulating non-profit political action committees are woefully inadequate to ensure the integrity of Michigan’s political operations. It is incumbent upon the legislature to act swiftly in enacting significant changes to create transparency and reduce the pervasive malfeasance which erodes public trust and accountability in our state government.” 

This remains an ongoing investigation, and the Michigan Department of Attorney General has not ruled out potential charges against additional defendants. The Minards will next appear in 54-B District Court in Ingham County for individual arraignments on January 3, 2024, at 9:00am.  

The affidavits for Anne Minard [ [link removed] ] and Robert Minard [ [link removed] ] are linked here.

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"*Please note:* For all criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Department does not provide booking photos."






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