Despite Attorney General Dana Nessel trying to sweep it under the rug, her pal Traci Kornak, the former treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party, has been charged with embezzlement and false pretenses for taking advantage of an elderly woman named Rose Burd.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker has issued three criminal charges against Kornak. The first is one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $50,000 or more but less than $100,000. The second charge is for embezzlement between $1,000 and $20,000.
The third is a count of false pretenses. The maximum prison sentence for all counts is 25 years. There’s also a wide range of monetary penalties.
Becker’s office says it’s not clear when Kornak will be arraigned.
Michigan Enjoyer’s Charlie LeDuff has been covering the story for years, and it’s finally coming to a head in the courtroom after years of being downplayed by the media and top state officials.
As LeDuff reported, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Nessel knew about the allegations years ago and allowed Kornak to continue to run the finances of their political party. When Whitmer wanted to make her a judge, LeDuff didn’t let the story die.
Then the Kent County Sheriff’s Office took over and conducted a multi-year investigation into Kornak and turned it over to Becker’s office. Becker now seems willing to take the heat for the sake of justice.
It’s incredible that it’s taken so long to look into the alleged mismanagement of Burd’s finances, but with these criminal charges, let’s hope that the rest of the media starts paying attention.
Maybe those in power will think twice before protecting their political allies at the expense of the people they are sworn to serve and protect.
Brendan Clarey is deputy editor of Michigan Enjoyer.
