Michigan attorney general to announce charges in investigation of former top lawmaker

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors plan to announce charges Tuesday in an investigation of the former leader of the Michigan House, the attorney general’s office said.

Attorney General Dana Nessel is scheduled to speak to reporters in the state capital at 2 p.m. EDT.

An email from Nessel’s office didn’t indicate who is being charged.

“We were told we would be notified in advance. We have not been notified. He has done absolutely nothing wrong,” Lee Chatfield’s lawyer, Mary Chartier, told The Associated Press.

Chatfield, a Republican who is no longer a state lawmaker, was House speaker in 2019 and 2020 when the GOP controlled the chamber. He has been under investigation s ince his sister-in-law said he sexually assaulted her. Chatfield has denied the allegations and said they had a consensual affair.

In 2022, The Detroit News, citing court records, reported that Chatfield was also under scrutiny for possible financial crimes.

Two people who were top aides to Chatfield when he ran the House were charged last year with crimes, including embezzlement from nonprofit funds created for political purposes. Rob and Anne Minard have pleaded not guilty.