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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Press Release
Citizens call on Rep. Lyons to Admit Connection to Bolger/Schmidt Election Scandal, Reimburse City of Grand Rapids
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
CONTACT: Jessica Tramontana, 517-974-6302
FOIA reveals text messages between Reps. Lyons and Schmidt, shows misuse of city resources providing unnecessary police protection
LANSING - Citizen watchdog group Progress Michigan is calling on Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R-Alto) to admit a clear connection with the Bolger/Schmidt election fraud scandal and to reimburse Kent County for inappropriately doling out public resources. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request shows texts from Rep. Lyons to Roy Schmidt, offering to have her husband - a Kent County Corrections officer - call in sick to provide a private security detail on the taxpayer’s dime. “If you want, my Brad will call in sick and do it, I want you guys to be safe.” Lyons later texted “Oh and Brad is going to have a GRPD car patrol by your house a few times tonight.”
“It's clear that Lansing politicians have the wrong priorities,” said Zack Pohl, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. "Instead of holding Roy Schmidt and Jase Bolger accountable for conspiring to commit voter fraud, Lisa Posthumus Lyons actively participated in the cover-up and wasted taxpayer dollars by demanding special police protection for Schmidt. Lyons should immediately apologize to the people of Grand Rapids, and personally reimburse the city for Schmidt's special police protection. Michigan citizens deserve better."
Texts show Lyons advising Schmidt to not read news reports of the party switch, and also sharing a message from Speaker Bolger instructing fake Democrat Matt Mojzak to avoid speaking to news organizations. Lyons also told Schmidt he should skip committee meetings:
“The Speaker is asking you not attend Committees for a couple of days, he wants you to lay low, practically sequestered.”
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BACKGROUND
Detroit News: Lisa Lyons tried to arrange police protection for Roy Schmidt
Texts between Lisa Lyons and Roy Schmidt (PDF)
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:09 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The Backroom
Detroit News political reporters ferret out what's really going on in Detroit, Lansing and Washington D.C.
Aug 20, 2012, 5:57 pm Uncategorized
Lisa Lyons tried to arrange police protection for Roy Schmidt
By Chad Livengood
Chad Livengood Contact Chad Livengood at clivengood@detnews.com or (517) 371-3660. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ChadLivengood.
Since the Kent County prosecutor released a damning report last month about state Rep. Roy Schmidt‘s foiled attempt to rig his own re-election with a fake opponent, more details of the scheme have trickled out of the state police investigation files.
At the heart of the investigation are text messages between Schmidt and House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, who advised Schmidt to recruit a fake Democratic opponent so he could breeze to re-election as a Republican. The text messages revealed how Schmidt and Bolger orchestrated the party switch via text messages and in secret meetings at Bolger’s Marshall home, though the Kent County prosecutor concluded no crime was committed.
House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall
Schmidt offered to pay $500 to Matthew Mojzak, a 22-year-old friend of his son, to be his stand-in Democratic opponent, thus preventing Grand Rapids Democrats from running a legitimate candidate, according to Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth‘s July 17 report. Mojzak withdrew a few days after the filing deadline after news organizations raised questions about legal residency, despite an offer by Schmidt to be paid $1,000 to stay in the race, according to Forsyth’s report.
Progress Michigan, a Democrat-leaning advocacy organization, recently obtained portions of the Michigan State Police investigation file under a Freedom of Information Act request. The trove of records included text messages police obtained under a warrant that Schmidt received from state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons after news of Schmidt’s party-switch broke.
In text messages, Lyons urged Schmidt not to read news accounts of his party-switch and relayed a message from Bolger that Mojzak should not speak to reporters or Democrats, according to text messages obtained by Progress Michigan and provided to The Detroit News.
“The Speaker is asking that you not attend Committees for a couple of days,” Lyons told Schmidt. “He wants you to lay low, practically sequestered.”
Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, R-Alto
Lyons, R-Alto, also offered to have her husband, Brad, a Kent County corrections officer, call in sick and stop by Schmidt’s Grand Rapids home to provide security. In a later text message, Lyons told Schmidt her husband was arranging to have a Grand Rapids Police Department patrol car pass by his home on Van Ess “a few times” that night.
A Grand Rapids police spokesman said Monday the department had no record of ever visiting Schmidt’s home or sending a patrol car to monitor his residence on May 15.
In an interview Monday, Lyons said she was concerned about her friend Schmidt’s safety, knowing he had angered Democratic Party loyalists by his last-minute defection.
“I knew there would be a lot of people angry, especially since he singled out (Michigan Democratic Party chairman) Mark Brewer,” Lyons told The Detroit News. “I just wanted to make sure nobody vandalized his place or caused him any harm.”
As for Schmidt’s party-switch, Lyons emphasized she had no idea it was in the works and doesn’t condone Schmidt and Bolger’s actions.
“I believe it was wrong and I know Roy and the speaker also know it was wrong,” Lyons said. “Our caucus members know that he screwed up and that they made a mistake. And he and the speaker have acknowledged that mistake.”
—
Related Article: Kent County prosecutor: Schmidt-Bolger probe was halted to alert voters about scheme to plant fake Democrat on the ballot
Contact Chad Livengood at (517) 371-3660 or clivengood@detroitnews.com.
Chad Livengood is a state government and politics reporter for The Detroit News. He can be reached at clivengood@detnews.com or (517) 371-3660. |
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Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:13 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Home
Politics
Campaign 2012
August 21, 2012 at 1:00 am
Prosecutor: Schmidt-Bolger race probe was halted to alert voters
Forsyth says he wanted to reveal plan to plant fake Dem
By Chad Livengood
Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Lansing — The Kent County prosecutor said Monday he halted an investigation into election fraud in a Grand Rapids legislative district in an attempt to inform voters of chicanery involved in the attempted re-election of a Democrat-turned-Republican lawmaker.
Prosecutor Bill Forsyth, a Republican, said Monday he did not pursue additional records for House Speaker Jase Bolger and Rep. Roy Schmidt because he wanted to inform 76th District voters before the election about the pair's scheme to keep a legitimate Democratic candidate off the ballot.
A warrant for cellphone and email records would have delayed his investigation until after the election, he said.
"I didn't think I could sit on this until September or October without this coming out," Forsyth told The Detroit News. "By not putting it out there, I would be influencing the election as well."
Forsyth's July 17 report, announcing he would not charge Schmidt and Bolger with a crime, contained shocking details about the efforts Schmidt and the top GOP House leader undertook to make Schmidt a Republican and ensure his easy re-election with a patsy opponent.
Democrats want the Michigan State Police to reopen the investigation after records released last week revealed Forsyth closed the probe before additional search warrants were carried out.
It wasn't the prosecutor's job to simply inform voters about Schmidt and Bolger's electoral shenanigans, said Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.
"His job is to do a complete investigation exploring all of the possible criminal violations, and he admits he didn't do that," Brewer said.
Text messages obtained by the state police showed how Schmidt's son and nephew recruited a 22-year-old friend, Matthew Mojzak, to be Roy Schmidt's fake Democratic opponent and how Bolger played an active role in advising Schmidt how to hand-pick a stand-in opponent. Mojzak, who was initially offered $500 to be Schmidt's opponent, withdrew from the race after news organizations questioned his Ottawa County residency and Schmidt offered him $1,000 to stay in the race.
Forsyth concluded no crime was committed by Schmidt and Bolger. But he likened the attempted election rigging to fixing a professional boxing matchup.
He won't reopen the investigation, he said, because it would allow Democrats to "embarrass people" by obtaining more records, such as Bolger's text messages, through Freedom of Information Act requests.
"What I don't know and what I'd never know short of granting one of them immunity is what the two of them talked about down in Marshall that night," said Forsyth, referencing a secret meeting at Bolger's home the night before the May 15 filing deadline, where the lawmakers finalized plans for Schmidt's party-switch.
Forsyth said there was not enough evidence to charge Bolger and Schmidt with perjury for getting Mojzak to file even though he wasn't a legal resident of the district.
Forsyth said his report helped Democratic write-in candidate Winnie Brinks get her party's nomination and gave Schmidt an election night scare when businessman Bing Goei nearly upset him in the Aug. 7 primary.
Schmidt narrowly defeated Goei by 423 votes or almost 7 percentage points — 53.4 percent to 46.6 percent of the vote. It was a victory attributed to absentee voters sending in their ballots before Forsyth's bombshell report was released three weeks before the primary election. After reading Forsyth's report, Goei said he launched his long-shot write-in candidacy because he was convinced Schmidt attempted to "bribe" Mojzak.
Forsyth was in an unusual and politically dicey position, but didn't violate any prosecutorial ethics rules, said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor and Wayne State University law professor. Forsyth's public scolding of Schmidt and Bolger fits the role of "public advocacy" for elected county prosecutors, Henning said.
"He simply could have said there's not enough here to charge, thank you, and left it at that," Henning said. "But obviously he found evidence that raises questions about the fairness of the elections process."
John Truscott, a spokesman for Schmidt, said the two-term lawmaker believed Mojzak was a Grand Rapids resident until the day of the filing when Mojzak had to change his voter registration. Despite some uneasiness about Mojzak's legitimacy, Schmidt regrettably carried out the scheme, Truscott said.
"I think if they had to do it all over again, they probably would not have followed that path," said Truscott, who is doing crisis public relations work for Schmidt. "That's probably the understatement of the year."
clivengood@detroitnews.com
(517) 371-3660 |
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Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:16 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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August 29, 2012 at 1:00 am
One-woman grand jury will look into Bolger-Schmidt GOP election scheme
By Chad Livengood
Detroit News Lansing Bureau
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120829/POLITICS01/208290393#ixzz24yFRnisf
Lansing — Ingham County's traditionally Democratic judicial bench has waded into a Republican election rigging scandal, appointing a jurist to lead a one-person grand jury investigation of House Speaker Jase Bolger and state Rep. Roy Schmidt.
The Circuit Court on Monday directed Judge Rosemarie E. Aquilina to serve as a grand juror and investigate whether Bolger and Schmidt committed perjury, obstructed justice and engaged in a conspiracy to defraud 76th District voters of a legitimate Democratic opponent when Schmidt switched parties to become a Republican.
Aquilina will have the power to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify and use warrants to obtain records the Michigan State Police did not get in its two-month probe of Schmidt's foiled use of a family friend to be his patsy Democratic opponent when he switched parties in May.
The judges empanelled the grand jury at the request of Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and state Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer. The two contend a judicial probe is needed after Republican Kent County prosecutor stopped a Michigan State Police investigation before additional warrants were executed and Bolger and Schmidt were interviewed.
Bolger, who is at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., said Tuesday he would cooperate with Aquilina's grand jury proceedings.
"I have no intention of stepping down," Bolger told The Detroit News. "I'm still an effective leader. I'm not going to be distracted. I'm going to continue to focus on things that matter to the people of Michigan."
The order came on the same day Bolger pleaded with the judges not to launch a new investigation, calling it a "fishing expedition" by Democrats as Republicans fight to retain control of the state House this fall.
But the judges determined "there is probable cause to suspect that certain crimes and offenses have been committed within its jurisdiction," according to an order for a grand jury investigation.
Seven of the nine 30th Circuit Court judges met Monday to consider the grand jury request, but a court order signed by Chief Judge Janelle A. Lawless did not indicate how the judges voted on the matter.
Republicans dismissed the investigation as a waste of taxpayer money and noted the elected Ingham County judges are traditionally Democrats.
"They turned this into a political witch hunt, and they've scored a temporary legal victory," said John Truscott, spokesman for Schmidt.
Kent County prosecutor Bill Forsyth determined in July no crime was committed after Schmidt's faux opponent, a 22-year-old friend of his son and nephew, dropped out of the race just days after filing in May.
But Democrats called Forsyth's investigation into question after the Republican prosecutor acknowledged canceling warrants to search Bolger's phone records and Schmidt's phone and email records.
A Michigan State Police detective said he had probable cause Bolger, R-Marshall, and Schmidt may have committed subornation of perjury by knowingly procuring Matthew Mojzak to commit perjury by falsely claiming to be a 76th District resident for at least 30 days before the May 15 filing date.
The state police never interviewed Schmidt or Bolger either, the representatives' spokesmen said.
Aquilina was elected to Ingham County Circuit Court in 2009 after serving four years as a judge in district court, where she presided over the lengthy pre-trial hearing in the Ricky Holland child murder case.
She was previously chief of staff for former state Sen. John Kelly, D-Grosse Pointe Woods. She is a former major in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the Michigan National Guard.
Despite her past affiliations with Democrats, Aquilina can be an impartial arbitrator of the facts in a case where the political stakes are high for Bolger and Schmidt, said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at Wayne State University.
"Because of the political aspects of the case, you really want someone who is independent," Henning said. "You should be able to expect a judge to be fair."
One way to thwart the grand jury probe is for Bolger and Schmidt to invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Henning said.
Bolger declared his innocence in a letter sent Monday to the judges, citing Forsyth's investigation, as well as inquiries by the Secretary of State's Office and House Business Office, which found no wrongdoing.
"The prosecutor found no evidence that I lied, nor encouraged anyone else to falsify information because I never did any such thing," Bolger wrote.
Forsyth said he cut his investigation short to inform Grand Rapids voters about the scheme before the Aug. 7 primary.
"There's only been one real investigation in this case … and that was prematurely cut short," said Zack Pohl, executive director of Progress Michigan, a Democratic advocacy group.
The Secretary of State's Office is still investigating whether Schmidt violated campaign finance law for trying to pay Mojzak up to $450 to be his fake opponent and then offering to up the ante to $1,000 to remain on the ballot. No money ever changed hands after Mojzak dropped out of the race.
A Michigan State Police probe showed much of the plotting by Bolger and Schmidt took place at Bolger's home in Calhoun County or in Kent County, where an affidavit attesting Mojzak's residency in the 76th District was filed by a Bolger aide moments before the May 15 primary candidate deadline.
Bolger said the pursuit of a grand jury by Whitmer and Brewer in Democrat-friendly Ingham County "is clearly and unequivocally politically motivated."
"There is absolutely zero evidence, let alone probable cause to believe, that any crimes occurred within the jurisdiction of this honorable court," Bolger wrote.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
(517) 371-3660 |
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Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:55 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Roy Schmidt-Jase Bolger grand jury judge can ‘put the squeeze on people’ in Grand Rapids election fraud case
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 8:38 AM Updated: Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 9:30 AM
By Nate Reens | nreens@mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — As a one-judge grand jury, Rosemarie Aquilina will have sweeping authority to determine if Grand Rapids Rep. Roy Schmidt and House Speaker Jase Bolger committed any crimes while trying to rig an election, a veteran attorney said.
Fred Dilley, a Grand Rapids lawyer who has handled high-profile cases in federal and state courts, said Aquilina and the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office will be able to “put the squeeze on people” during an investigation of the lawmakers and their admitted conspiracy that they maintain violated no laws.
“The powers are really unique,” Dilley said Tuesday. “The judge has the power to subpoena anybody at any time and at any place. And she has the right to do all of this in secret. She can block off windows during testimony and require people’s silence outside of court.”
Dilley said Aquilina will have broad leeway to hold suspects and witnesses in contempt – including throwing them in jail — and has the power to grant immunity to anyone involved in the case.
“You combine all those powers and it’s really incredible,” the lawyer said.
Democrats asked for the rare legal maneuver after they claim political motivations led to Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth stopping a state police probe and Attorney General Bill Schuette declining to take up the case. Forsyth and Schuette are elected GOP members.
Republicans claim that the request for a grand jury in Ingham County is a political ploy. They contend the jurists, who are predominantly Democrats, have no jurisdiction because none of the plotting happened there, instead occurring in Kent and Calhoun counties.
“There really is no legitimate reason to do this,” said John Truscott, a spokesman for Schmidt. Schmidt switched to the Republican Party at the May 15 election filing deadline and worked with Bolger to plant a fake candidate.
“They’ve thrown the legal intent of grand juries out the window.”
Related: See how Jase Bolger, Republicans and Democrats reacted to grand jury investigation in Grand Rapids election fraud conspiracy
Truscott pointed out that Aquilina is a former staffer for a Detroit Democratic Senator.
But Democrats, including state party Chairman Mark Brewer and Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, contend a judge years removed from a partisan position is the best means of conducting a complete investigation.
“While it's a sad day in our state's history that this step would have to be taken, I am thankful that the court's decision will result in a full, fair and impartial investigation into this matter,” Whitmer said. “That's all I've ever asked for, and it's what the public deserves.”
Bolger and Schmidt have pledged their cooperation. Since their shenanigans, as Forsyth termed the plot, came into full view, both have said they wished they had not operated the way they did.
“The Speaker has cooperated with all previous investigations on this matter, each of which found that no laws or rules were broken,” Bolger said in a statement released by his spokesman Ari Adler. “While we believe the petition for a grand jury was politically motivated, the Speaker is putting his faith in the court providing an impartial review of the facts in this case and finding once again that he did not break any laws.”
In a letter to judges, Bolger said the request for a grand jury was a fishing expedition and a goose chase.
Truscott, speaking on behalf of Schmidt, said: “We’ll count on her to be fair. There’s only one conclusion to be reached and that’s the same one as the prosecutor.”
Related: More Roy Schmidt-Jase Bolger texts lay out meeting to finalize party switch, attack Mark Brewer
Aquilina, who has been on the circuit bench since 2009, was chosen in a blind draw of the Ingham judges. While she will operate behind closed doors, this proceeding stands in stark contrast to most impaneled grand juries.
The cases – most often conducted in cold case and homicide criminal probes —usually play out beyond the public eye, with the general population not even aware that there is an investigation. Intense media scrutiny has followed every turn of this case, starting from the moment Schmidt defected at the May 15 candidate filing deadline and Matt Mojzak, a political unknown, took his place on the Democratic ticket.
Related: Read text message exchange between Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Roy Schmidt, post-party switch
Ties between Mojzak and Schmidt’s relatives were quickly revealed, and the 22-year-old dropped out of the Aug. 7 primary under the spotlight two days later. Mojzak has willingly spoken with police, turned over text messages and said he was recruited by Schmidt, the lawmaker’s son and the legislator’s nephew.
In a state police interview, he said the attention “freaked” him out and that he had no idea what he was getting into. Ryan Schmidt, Roy’s son, offered him $450 to file for the election, and Mojzak told police he was told it was so the two-term representative could strengthen fundraisers.
Dozens of text messages between Schmidt and Bogler detail their attempts to get a plant in place. They finalized the plan over Bud Light and cheese crackers at Bolger’s Marshall home.
Follow Nate Reens on Twitter at www.twitter.com/natereens |
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Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:24 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Read text messages between House Speaker Bolger, Rep. Schmidt plotting party switch, fake candidate
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 7:15 AM Updated: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 8:45 AM
By Nate Reens | nreens@mlive.com
ger
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- An eight-page report summarizing the findings of Rep. Roy Schmidt and House Speaker Jase Bolger’s plot for the Grand Rapids legislator’s transfer to the GOP lays bare an attempt to undermine an election and perpetuate fraud, according to Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth.
Some of the most revealing details – outside of the players recounting potential cash payments and concerns of a state police investigation – come from text messages.
Exchanges between Schmidt and Bolger as well as Schmidt’s son, Ryan; nephew, A.J., and fill-in candidate Matt Mojzak illustrate of the lengths the men went to try and pull off the plan. Phil Browne, Bolger's deputy chief of staff, also played a role.
Forsyth said he believes Mojzak was duped into the plot and “is the least culpable of anyone involved in this fiasco,” even though he is arguably the one who came closest to committing a crime.
Take a look at some of the text messages that Forsyth included as part of his Tuesday decision. Misspellings in the texts have not been corrected.
After Schmidt's son contacted Mojzak about running on May 13, the following text messages were exchanged between Representative Schmidt and Speaker of the House Bolger on May 14:
8:30-8:32 a.m.
Speaker: “Any luck finding ur Dem in ur district? That’s the last piece we need.”
Schmidt: “I believe we do. Wii know this afternoon.”
8:50-9:07 a.m.
Speaker: “Can they get the paperwork to u and u get to me so we can get it in our hands, show the GOP we’re all set … then we’ll file tomorrow.”
Schmidt: “For the Dem candidate. Yes!”
Speaker: “Exactly, for the Dem candidate … we already have the paperwork for our R candidate!”
Schmidt: “I know. I am so nervous at this point- just want it to go perfect!”
Speaker: “Me too. I don’t like leaving anything to chance, thus my anxiousness to get this last piece wrapped up. All will then b perfect!”
9:31 a.m.
Schmidt: “We have our man.”
9:59 a.m.
Speaker: “Name?”
10:01 a.m.
Phone call from Speaker to Representative Schmidt [4.9 minutes]
10:14-10:18 a.m.
Schmidt: “Matthew Mojak\nHe will be at the sec. Of state with a new address this afternoon.”
Speaker: “Have this completed, double checked, and notarized. Bring tomorrow and we’ll b all set. This will block any games anyone could try to play and u will b..clear:”
Schmidt: “OK”
Speaker: “Is Matthew the same as u had before? He has to b able to say he’s been living at the address in the district for 30 days before filing deadline.”
Schmidt: “No- this new one- and he has!” [Rep. Schmidt’s response to the question suggests that Mr. Mojak was not the only person he had attempted to recruit]
Speaker: “Y does he need to change his address?”
10:26 a.m.
Speaker: “Plz send me the new address ASAP.”
Schmidt: “Ok.”
11:02-11:10 a.m.
Schmidt: \nJase he has not moved\nYet. Roy\n\n FWD: My old address is 1351 Logan street SE. Grand Rapids, MI 59506\nNew address is 2758 woodpath. Grand rapids, mi 49504.” [Rep.Schmidt forwarded to Speaker Bolger a text message sent from Mr. Mojak to Ryan Schmidt at 10:44 AM in which Mr. Mojak has listed his old and new address}
Speaker: “Which address has he been living in for the last 30 days?”
Schmidt: “Logan street”
Speaker: “Sorry, I’m not familiar enough with the district. Does this mean he is ur guy, or not?”
Schmidt: “I am going to check his address in 20 minutes to make sure he is in my district-I will text you soon.”
12:22 p.m.
Schmidt: “Not good news dang it. 1351 Logan SE is just outside the district. Keep looking correct?”
1:08 p.m.
Speaker: “Yes, please.”
Speaker: “Bcz he hasn’t been living on Woodpath, right?”
1:31 – 1:33 p.m.
Speaker: “Can u talk?”
Schmidt: “Yes I will call from home …”
1:34 p.m.
Phone call from Representative Schmidt to Speaker [1 minutes 42 seconds]
Following the aforementioned exchanges, additional messages indicate that Representative Schmidt drove to Marshall and met with Speaker Bolger on the evening of May 14th.
The next day, May 15th, additional text messages and phone calls were exchanged:
6:34-6:36 a.m.
Speaker: "Glad u made it home safe. Have a great morning. Plz txt me when u have Matthew's paperwork complete…..From our atty: there is no requirement for a phone # or email on an affidavit of identity. So, leave those two blank on Matthew's form."
Schmidt: "Me also-slept great and ready to go!\nYes I will call as soon as his form is notorized!"
9:14 a.m.
Representative Schmidt sent the following text message to Phil Browne. "Phil it's Roy-please call me." At 9:17 a.m., Phil Browne called Representative Schmidt [the call lasted 98 seconds.]
10:09 a.m.
Schmidt: "Done! Cand. Is signed-notorized-I will call Phil on the way end"
10:15 a.m.
Speaker: "Fantastic! Drive carefully."
11:26 a.m.
Phone call from Phil Browne to Representative Schmidt [87 seconds]
2:12 p.m.
Speaker: "How u doing"
2:27-2:33 p.m.
Speaker: "Phil is in the right building. All systems go!"
Schmidt: "Super!"
3:59 p.m.
Phil Browne called Roy Schmidt [39 seconds].
On May 17th, after Mojzak withdrew from the race, he sent Ryan a text.
Mojzak: "If you go to court for this we care going to have some serious issues."
Ryan: "I just spoke with my dad. You have nothing to worry about matt. You can't say anything, if aanybody threatens you, it's a false scam at getting u worried that ur gonna get in trouble. If you want to talk to my dad, shoot him a call.
A.J. then sent the Mojzak this text on the May 18
A.J.: "Ok so my uncle wanted me to reassure you that if you get called into county clerks then you have an attourny provided, and you made the mistake about 22" (22 is in reference to "Resident of County for 22 years" that appeared on Mojzak's Affidavit of Identity.
Mojzak: "I have my own attorney. I don't want anymore connections with your uncle."
A.J.: "_____, one of the best attornys in mi, all paid for The only investigation they have to go on is the fact you put the 22 yr things
Mojzak: "Yea I talked to him. My parents neighbor and family friend is a criminal lawyer. I just don't want there to be any connections
A.J.: "otherwise u or your family will have to pay, which is uneeded."
Mojzak: "It's a criminal investigation by the attorney generals office. I'm not chancing anything. And we don't have to pay for it"
The text messages between A.J., Ryan and Mojzak continue with both A.J. and Ryan attempting to get Mojzak to accept "free" legal representation and to remind Mojzak should claim the 22 years on the affidavit was either a "mistake" or "accidental" on his part.
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Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:33 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Roy Schmidt admits lying about election shenanigans in interview: 'I knew this was wrong'
Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 9:45 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 9:52 AM
By Nate Reens | nreens@mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Roy Schmidt lied.
That’s the Republican state lawmaker’s succinct description of what he calls the most poorly calculated decision he’s made in a 20-year career in state and local politics.
And he contends that he’s sorry for being part of an elaborate manipulation – a last-minute election filing deadline party switch and thrusting a naïve 22-year-old into the public eye amid a partisan controversy – that Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth said was meant to perpetuate fraud and undermine an election.
“I’ve been second-guessing myself 24 hours a day for two months,” Schmidt said in a Tuesday interview after Forsyth announced there would be no criminal charges in the fallout of Schmidt’s May 15 jump from Democratic affiliation to the GOP.
“I didn’t think this thing through at all and then I realized I’m in way over my head.”
A state police probe discovered Schmidt had his son, Ryan, offer Matt Mojzak $450, later upping the amount to $1,000, to enter the race for the 76th District House seat.
Mojzak, who was not to campaign but was only to help block Democrats from running a write-in candidate, quickly withdrew from the race as scrutiny that neither he nor Schmidt anticipated heightened.
“It was a dumb political decision and from day one, it started to unravel,” Schmidt said. “I knew this was wrong.”
He says he had to hold off on a public acknowledgement of contrition until the criminal investigation was complete. The report, while damning of the behind the scenes action, says no laws were violated.
That hasn’t stopped Democrats for calling for Schmidt to resign his seat or House Speaker Jase Bolger to leave Republican leadership for his orchestration of the scheme.
Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, said the activity was not befitting a member of the state House.
“This is a sad day for the Grand Rapids community and state government when leaders behave in this manner,” said Dillon, once a friend of Schmidt’s. “Grand Rapids citizens value honesty and integrity and they deserve better from their elected officials. It is time for Mr. Schmidt to do the right thing and resign."
Schmidt said he will stay in office and compete for a third-term, working to beat Democratic write-in candidate Winnie Brinks. Schmidt earlier served 16 years as a Grand Rapids city commissioner, earning a reputation he hopes will allow voters to overlook what happened in May.
“I’m going to work very hard and I hope (voters) will forgive me,” Schmidt said. “I’m a fighter. I’m going to work my butt off.”
Bolger also declined to step down at the demand of Mark Brewer, the Democratic Party chairman. It was Bolger’s deputy chief of staff Phil Browne who delivered Schmidt’s papers registering as a Republican and removing his name from the Democrats side, the investigation found.
RELATED: House Speaker Jase Bolger: 'we lost sight that we ought to be focused on the people'
Browne also submitted “fake” Democrat Matt Mojzak’s entry papers. Mojzak withdrew from the race two days later.
“I encouraged a Democrat to be recruited, but the bottom line is that I have always encouraged the law to be followed,” Bolger said. “This is political gamesmanship and we lost sight that we ought to be focused on the people and bringing them results. We were distracted and we should not have been.”
The probe found Bolger and Schmidt traded texts and phone calls for two days ahead of the party swap.
Forsyth said the scheme to essentially plant a candidate and pay them to make no effort to win remarkably is not addressed in Michigan law. He has forwarded a report to the Secretary of State’s office with the possibility that Schmidt violated campaign finance regulations. He also castigated the people involved.
In a strongly worded final paragraph of an eight-page decision, Forsyth said the state legislature needs to address the situation.
“As a Republican elected official, I am embarrassed and offended by what transpired,” Forsyth wrote. “At a minimum the Legislature should put a time limit on when a candidate may ‘switch’ parties prior to the filing deadline.
“Allowing a candidate to ‘recruit’ a so-called opponent and to allow last minute shenanigans that occurred in this case is a travesty and should not be permitted.” |
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Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:40 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Three ways Rep. Roy Schmidt may have violated campaign finance rules
Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 4:38 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 5:23 PM
By Nate Reens | nreens@mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth cleared party-switching Grand Rapids Rep. Roy Schmidt of criminal charges, but he points out the legislator may have violated campaign finance regulations.
Forsyth ruled today that an investigation by the state police turned up at least three potential acts that the Secretary of State could probe tied to the last-minute jump to the Republican Party on May 15.
Schmidt signed his Affidavit of Identity on May 3 and had it notarized by a member of House Speaker Jase Bolger’s staff. More than a week later he held a spaghetti fundraiser that has enraged Democrats because of the timing involved.
“Consequently, on May 11, while raising funds for his re-election as a Democrat, he had already signed the paperwork necessary to withdraw as a Democrat and to file as a Republican,” Forsyth wrote of one possible violation.
A second, Forsyth said, was the original offer to pay Matt Mojzak, a family friend of Schmidt’s, $450 for being a non-viable Democratic opponent in the November election for the 76th House District. The offer later jumped to $1,000, but no money ever changed hands, Forsyth said police learned.
Mojazk withdrew under the media firestorm that surrounded Schmidt’s party change. Mojzak immediately contacted an attorney and said he wanted nothing more to do with Schmidt despite the offer of a “free” attorney.
"It's a criminal investigation by the attorney generals office," Mojzak texted Ryan Schmidt, Roy's son who recruited him to the race. "I'm not chancing anything."
The third and final possible violation was that Schmidt directed his campaign treasurer to cut a $2,000 check to his son, Ryan Schmidt, from the Friends of Roy Schmidt political action committee. Ryan Schmidt, who recruited Mojzak, was to split the money with the fake candidate.
“It appears Representative Schmidt attempted to improperly use campaign contributions,” Forsyth wrote. “I think the evidence, while circumstantial, is nonetheless compelling
.”
Forsyth said he has forwarded the investigative reports to the Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s office and will leave it to them to determine “what, if any, violations occurred and what, if any, sanctions should be imposed.
A spokeswoman for the office said it has not received the documentation.
“Should and when we receive it, we will review it and make a decision,” Gisgie Gendreau said.
The office has already rejected assertions made by Democrats that House Speaker Jase Bolger's staffers were involved on state time. The accusations weren't backed up by evidence.
Follow Nate Reens on Twitter at www.twitter.com/natereens |
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Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:44 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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PROGRESS MICHIGAN
Joshua Pugh
October , 2012
The more we find out about House Speaker Jase Bolger, the less credible he gets.
Before he attempted to defraud the voters of the 76th House District of their sacred right to a free and fair election, Speaker Bolger was busy racking up over $100,000 in unpaid taxes and being sued for defrauding a creditor.
In 1997, Bolger opened a collections agency. They received five separate liens totaling over $100,000 in unpaid taxes from three different government entities in the first few years after they were incorporated.
Then, in 2001, Wachovia Bank sued Summit Credit Services - Bolger’s business - for a breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and embezzlement. This lawsuit stated that Bolger “willfully and fraudulently misappropriated sums of money which belong to the Plaintiff.” It was settled out of court.
Jase Bolger’s well-documented propensity to lie, cheat, and steal to get what he wants is unacceptable. Check out the original court documents and tax liens, and check out the Facebook timeline we put together of Jase Bolger’s History of Fraud.
After settling with his creditors out of court and successfully escaping media scrutiny in his subsequent run for county commission, Bolger thought he’d buried it once and for all. He’s probably hoping the same thing will happen with the grand jury investigation of his failed election fraud scheme: that people will forget.
What’s that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It looks like Speaker Jase Bolger is trying to fool us, again. Don’t let him - help us spread the word about Jase Bolger’s decades-long pattern of dishonesty. |
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Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:10 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell wants apology from Michigan State Police commander
By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on September 26, 2012 at 6:30 AM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- County Sheriff Robert Pickell wants an apology from the commander of the Michigan State Police's Flint post for suggesting state troopers are better quality officers than local police.
"I was stunned by (First Lt. Matt) Bolger's comment (that) local law enforcement officers, who are paid less than Michigan State Police, are inferior officers," Pickell said. "I think he owes an apology."
Bolger recently told the Flint Journal that taxpayers "kind of get what you pay for" when it comes to police protection and cited the MSP's higher ratio of closing cases than the county Sheriff's Department.
Bolger was responding to comments from some county officials, including Pickell, who were suggesting state money to pay for additional troopers in Flint would be better spent on hiring less-expensive local police instead.
The sheriff called Bolger's "get what you pay for" comment "arrogant and degrading" and said he may write to Gov. Rick Snyder and Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP, to complain.
Bolger said he has no plans to apologize "for speaking truthfully on the issue" about case-closing rates.
The commander said last week that state taxpayers get value in troopers, who close cases at a higher rates than county sheriff's deputies.
Pickell said then that troopers earn more than local officers, comparing their compensation to a Cadillac and local officers to a Chevrolet, and said the state could afford to put more local officers on the street for the same investment.
"When people make the claim that you are too expensive, I don't know how else to respond to that," Bolger said of his remarks last week.
The commander said he "would like the city of Flint to be able to hire more police back" but said local funding is required to do that.
"We're dedicated to the city of Flint," he said of the MSP's concentration of officers here.
Gov. Rick Snyder has singled out Flint and a handful of other Michigan cities with very high crime rates for special help in the coming fiscal year.
Kevin Smith, president of the Flint Police Officers Association, agreed with Pickell that hiring officers from the county or city would be less expensive than state troopers.
"Flint officers know the dynamics of the neighborhood," Smith said. "If I was the governor, I could get more bang for my bucks" with local officers
"Why wouldn't we bring back laid-off officers?" he said.
Despite having the nation's highest per-capita violent crime rate in 2010 and 2011, there are more than 50 patrol officers from Flint who remain on layoff.
Police Chief Alvern Locke has said Flint needs at least 200 officers to adequately police the city and has just 58 patrolmen currently, Smith said.
Snyder has singled out Flint and a handful of other Michigan cities with very high crime rates for special help in the coming fiscal year, including a bulked-up MSP presence. |
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Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:17 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Matt Bolger of the State Police is the brother of Jase Bolger. It is apparent that elitism and arrogance runs in the family.
Under the draconian cuts proposed by former EM Mike Brown, the majority of detectives retired. Of course closure rates will fall when you have new and untrained detectives. The administration did not see fit to test and train replacements prior to the seasoned veterans leaving.
The State police assigned detectives to help train detectives and closure rates are improving.
Jase Bolger needs to apologize and needs to monitor his officers. Allegations of abusive behaviour on the part of his state troopers are coming to light. Come on troopers- did you really throw the prosthetic leg of an Afghanistan vet 10 feet away and force him to crawl to it? |
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Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:24 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Tim Skubick: A judge's decision on Bolger-Schmidt case could blow any chance at bipartisanship
By Tim Skubick | Politics Columnist for MLive.com
on January 23, 2013 at 6:24 AM, updated January 23, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Despite the bruised feelings and the lingering anger that permeates the Democratic caucus yet today, you can see the possibility of Democrats putting the Right to Work angst behind them.
And if you look even closer you can actually see a path toward bipartisan cooperation taking shape.
It won’t happen over night but publicly and privately the correct things are being said. Heck even the governor’s most severe critic, the senate minority leader uttered, “Let’s make a deal.” Good for Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing.)
But something looms that could blow this delicate peace-movement to smithereens. It’s a little thing called the one-person grand jury.
Shrouded in the proverbial cone of silence, Judge Rose Marie Aqualina continues her probe into the electioneering behavior of GOP House Speaker Jase Bolger.
If the governor decides to welcome the two Democratic leaders along with the two GOP leaders into his inner sanctum to work a deal on his transportation fee increases, you have to wonder if Mr. Bolger wants to be in the same room with Ms. Whitmer, whom you may recall, made the original pitch for the grand jury. He probably remembers that.
Beyond that little delicacy, the greater X-factor is what if? What if the judge decides Mr. Bolger broke some law when he tried to finagle a colleague, Democrat-turned-Republican Roy Schmidt, into securing his house seat without any opposition?
Then what?
You can make the case that as mad as the D’s were over RTW, the R’s could match that and then some. Finding their leader in Dutch with the law by a Democratic judge and instigated by a top Democratic leader could propel the Republicans into a very uncooperative mood. And that could bring to a screeching halt any bipartisan progress that has been made. It's just one more obstacle the governor does not need.
Of course if the judge finds no wrongdoing there’s no harm, no foul. But if she goes the other way, a March 7th deadline for ironing out a pact on the roads, may become just a fond might-have-been.
Watch "Off the Record with Tim Skubick" online anytime at video.wkar.org |
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Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:53 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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About.
Before defrauding Michigan’s 76th district of their sacred right to a free and fair election, House Speaker Jase Bolger was busy defrauding Wachovia Bank and racking up over $100,000 in unpaid taxes.
Description
Before defrauding Michigan’s 76th district of their sacred right to a free and fair election, House Speaker Jase Bolger was busy defrauding Wachovia Bank while racking up over $100,000 in unpaid taxes.
In 2001, Wachovia Bank filed a lawsuit alleging that Bolger “willfully and fraudulently misappropriated sums of money which belong to the Plaintiff.” Jase Bolger’s well-documented propensity to lie, cheat, and steal to get what he wants is unacceptable.
Website
http://isbolgerguilty.org
History by Year.
2012
Report demonstrates Jase Bolger lied to MIRS news
Jase Bolger claims he wasn't involved in the election fraud scheme to MIRS
Jase Bolger and Roy Schmidt Exchange Texts Regarding Fraud
Roy Schmidt and Jase Bolger Agree to Commit Fraud
Roy Schmidt and Jase Bolger Agree on Fraudulent Candidate
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2001
Jase Bolger sued by a creditor, Wachovia Bank, for fraud and embezzlement.
Lien filed by the Michigan Department of Treasury against Summit Credit Services for $56,710.53 in unpaid state payroll taxes.
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2000
Lien filed by the Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services against Summit Credit Services for over $700 in unpaid state unemployment payments.
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1999
Lien filed by the IRS against Summit Credit Services for $34,015.84 in unpaid federal payroll taxes.
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1998
Lien filed by the IRS against Summit Credit Services for $20,013.21 in unpaid federal payroll taxes.
Lien filed by the Michigan Department of Treasury against Summit Credit Services for $8,479.46 in unpaid state payroll taxes. |
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Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:57 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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No charges in Roy Schmidt-Jase Bolger party-switch scandal, …
Detroit Free Press1 day ago
Aug 09, 2013 · Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina found that no criminal charges are warranted in the election scandal involving House Speaker Jase Bolger |
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Sun Aug 11, 2013 10:00 am |
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