Sen. Bert Johnson
After denying guilt and insisting he'd done nothing wrong, reality apparently set.
State Sen. Bert Johnson is expected to plead guilty to an unspecified charge in a federal case alleging he misused taxpayer dollars by hiring a “ghost employee” to work in his legislative office, report Robert Snell and Johnathan Oosting of The Detroit News.
Johnson, a Democrat from Highland Park, is scheduled to appear at a Friday plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman in Detroit, according to a court notice. His attorney declines comment, as does a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Tuesday, Johnson rejected an initial plea deal that involved admitting conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program, a charge punishable by up to five years in federal prison, The News reports.
Sentencing guidelines in the new deal call for six to 12 months in prison.
