By ED WHITE (Related Press)
The previous head of a Michigan medical marijuana licensing board has agreed to plead accountable to accepting $110,000 in bribes when he led the panel over a two-year interval, authorities said Thursday.
Rick Johnson acknowledged in a signed court docket docket submitting that he acted “corruptly” when he accepted cash and totally different benefits to help firms get licenses.
Prices in direction of Johnson and three totally different males had been launched by U.S. Legal professional Mark Totten at a press conference near the Capitol in Lansing.
Johnson, 70, was chairman of the marijuana board for two years until spring 2019. The Republican years earlier moreover was a strong lawmaker, serving as Home speaker from 2001 by 2004.
“Public corruption is a poison to any democracy. … That poison is very poisonous right here,” Totten said. “The marijuana business has been likened to a modern-day gold rush, a brand new frontier the place individuals can stake their declare and simply perhaps return large rewards.”
The marijuana board reviewed and permitted functions to develop and promote marijuana for medical features.
A message looking for comment from Johnson’s authorized skilled wasn’t immediately returned.
Agreements with Johnson and others to plead accountable had been filed concurrently with charges in federal court docket docket in Grand Rapids. All are cooperating with investigators, which could help them at sentencing.
Johnson accepted $110,200 in cash and benefits from not lower than two corporations whereas voting in favor of granting them marijuana licenses, primarily based on the bribery value.
Johnson “supplied precious private details about the anticipated guidelines and operation of the board and help with license utility issues,” the court docket docket submitting states.
John Dalaly, who acquired a marijuana enterprise license, has agreed to plead accountable to providing not lower than $68,200 in cash and totally different benefits to Johnson, along with two private flights to Canada, primarily based on court docket docket paperwork.
Two lobbyists, Brian Pierce and Vincent Brown, have agreed to plead accountable to conspiring to go bribes to Johnson, filings current.
Brown voluntarily spoke to federal brokers for hours in 2020 sooner than he had a lawyer, safety authorized skilled David Griem said.
“I solely combat instances that I can win at trial or the federal government provides me no selection, the supply is so unhealthy. We’re not going to combat this,” Griem suggested The Related Press.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abolished the medical marijuana board in 2019, only a few months after taking office, and put oversight of the enterprise inside a state firm.
Michigan voters legalized marijuana for medical features in 2008. A decade later, voters permitted the leisure use of marijuana.
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