Yesterday, John Cunningham, 55, of Traverse City, was arraigned in the 54A District Court in Lansing on two counts of Filing a False or





Share or view as webpage [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]






Michigan Department of Attorney General Press Release banner [ [link removed] ]




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
September 4, 2025




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






Traverse City Man Charged with Tax Charges Related to Black-Market Marijuana Operation

*LANSING* – Yesterday, John Cunningham, 55, of Traverse City, was arraigned in the 54A District Court in Lansing on two counts of Filing a False or Fraudulent Income Tax Return, each a 5-year felony, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Cunningham was charged following an investigation conducted by the Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Investigations Section, which was investigating a large-scale, multi-building, unlicensed marijuana grow/distribution operation in Grand Traverse County. 

In January 2023, search warrants were executed on the alleged operation. MSP recovered 134 marijuana plants, more than 230 pounds of processed marijuana, over $100,000 in cash, two vehicles, and six Rolex watches worth more than $100,000 from Cunningham’s residence. It is alleged Cunningham received income from this black-market marijuana operation and failed to file taxes between 2021 and 2022. 

“When Michiganders voted to legalize marijuana, they did so with the expectation that sales would be taxed and the revenue would go toward benefiting our communities,” Nessel said. “People must pay their taxes, and my office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit outside the law.” 

Cunningham will next appear for a probable cause conference in the Ingham County 54A District Court on September 11.  

 

###

 

"*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."






AG logo [ [link removed] ]





*Media Inquiries* <[email protected]>




*Latest Releases* [ [link removed] ]




*File a Complaint* [ [link removed] ]








Connect with us:

facebook icon [ [link removed] ] x icon [ [link removed] ] youtube icon [ [link removed] ] instagram icon [ [link removed] ] linkedin icon [ [link removed] ] govdelivery icon <[email protected]> threads icon [ [link removed] ]

If you wish to no longer receive emails from us, 
please update your preferences here:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Delete Profile [ [link removed] ]

Need further assistance?
Contact Us  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Attorney General · G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor · 525 W. Ottawa St., P.O. Box 30212 · Lansing, MI 48909 · 517-373-1100
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;} table.govd_hr {min-width: 100%;} p, li, h1, h2, h3 { overflow-wrap: normal; word-wrap: normal; word-break: keep-all; -moz-hyphens: none; -ms-hyphens: none; -webkit-hyphens: none; hyphens: none; mso-hyphenate: none; }