Rebekah and Aaron were pushed to marry when at 19, after their families discovered they were having sex, according to the report. The News' wide-ranging investigation revealed GCSI lobbyists wined and dined Chatfield like no other House speaker in the past decade, picking up the tab for thousands of dollars in free food, drink and travel that was nearly six times what the firm disclosed spending on Chatfield's three immediate predecessors combined. TruGreen Neighborhood Lawn Sales Representative. Opinion: I'm a Michigan lawmaker. Jason Wentworth is the Speaker of the Michigan House, but he's not speaking. Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Berrien Springs Michigan House of Representatives Chatfield's financial activities, while he was a top lawmaker, are now under criminal investigation by Attorney General Dana . Aaron Chatfield, Lee's younger brother, spoke with Bridge Michigan and said he supports his wife. As an unofficial driver for his brother, who was elected to the Michigan legislature in 2014 and served three two-year terms, Aaron told Bridge Michigan he drove Lee to strip clubs and to meet up with women, including a former staffer. His father is pastor of the church, the school superintendent and a teacher. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Biden laughs at Marjorie Taylor Greene pinning 2020 fentanyl deaths of two brothers on him, Cop finishes DoorDash delivery for pregnant driver after car wreck, Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic story, Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin announces 2024 Senate run. Because sunlight may be the only disinfectant that will help us clean up Michigan politics. We're going to pass gun reforms. Investigations take time, but dedicated diggers will almost always turn up the truth. 94,281 [2] Michigan's 107th House of Representatives district (also referred to as Michigan's 107th House district) is a legislative district within the Michigan House of Representatives located in parts of Cheboygan, Chippewa, and Mackinac counties, as well as all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties. Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah, reportedly told investigators that her husband Aaron would cash checks from Anne Minard and give the lucre to then-Speaker Chatfield around the time he took trips to Detroit, Miami, Las Vegas, Aspen and the Bahamas. [3], As speaker, Chatfield presided over the passage of a bipartisan auto insurance bill that allowed motorists to chose their level of personal injury protection coverage. Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said at some point Chatfield changed his position. The investigation began in January after Lee Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield, accused him of sexually abusing her beginning when she was 15 years old. He denies wrongdoing. That's unfortunate, because elected officials have an obligation to speak out on important matters, such as whether we can trust them and their staff unless the official thinks there's a chance he someday will have to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Dismiss. I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life, she told Bridge. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, Whitmer named to lead Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. Chatfield, a Republican who was speaker in 2019 and 2020 before leaving office due to term limits, . "And I know the only way to get justice for this is to come forward and to file a criminal [complaint] against him.". Chatfield's close ties to Lansing-based Governmental Consultant Services Inc. (GCSI) included renting an apartment from one of the firm's high-profile clients with regulatory issues before the Legislature and championing a bill that would have given another client a near-monopoly on contracts for road salt. "The bigger issue is the disclosure of all of this spending," state Rep. Gary Howell, R-North Branch, said of Chatfield's travel habits. According to Crain's Detroit Business, Chatfield confirmed he would be moving to Kalamazoo.The former representative from Levering, who was term-limited after six years in the state House, is no friend to the LGBTQ community. Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, said she was trying to create a safe work environment, but the House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said the sign took away people's Second Amendment rights and . Catch up fast: The state investigation began in January after Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield . We've received your submission. Johnson is a testament to either a fundamental misunderstanding, or a willful and intentional misapplication of appropriate action. Interviews with more than 30 sources and a review of previously unreported documents underscore how Michigan's lax ethics laws shielded ties between Chatfield and GCSI from the public spotlight and provided ways for the once powerful lawmaker and the multi-client lobbying firm to avoid disclosure of their collaboration. It's possible those disclosures don't cover all of the expenditures because, under current state policy, lobbyists must report only purchases for an officeholder that amount to over $66 in a month or $400 in a year. [5] He also paid a $1,960 fine from the Transportation Security Administration. In exploring the links between Chatfield and GCSI, The News also learned Chatfield won a $1 million appropriation for a Petoskey-area performing arts center whose board members at the time included the wife of GCSI CEO and co-owner Mike Hawks. Todd McInturf / The Detroit News. Scofes and Associates did report hiring the other lobbyists in an arrangement that clouded the public's ability to know GCSI and LaPorte were working on behalf of the tribe. If the attorney general's affidavit is accurate, Chatfield also funded his lavish lifestyle with money from people who wanted to make friends with one of the most powerful elected officials in Michigan. Daly also is president of a company called "Barton Re Ventures." Because of Michigan's lack of an open records policy covering lawmakers, the House wouldn't have to disclose Chatfield's letter. They "ran that whole church and school," she said. Sales Representative. Scheduling an inspection. The woman who accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield of multiple sexual assaults since she was a teenager was revealed to be his own sister-in-law. Terry Burns, executive vice president of the auto dealers association, acknowledged to The News that the group never reported the arrangement because of a broad exemption in state regulations for transactions made in "the ordinary course of the lobbyist's business." In the 2017-18 term, when he held a lower-ranking leadership position in the House, Chatfield successfully secured a $1 million appropriation in the state budget for the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor, a resort community west of Petoskey overlooking Little Traverse Bay. "They preach at the pulpit that the men are always right, the women have no say," she said. Plea deals typically only reveal a portion of what law enforcement has learned during an investigation. In December 2020, the federal government made determinations in favor of the Muskegon County project. Hawks and his wife, Orlene Hawks, the director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, hosted Chatfield on at least two occasions at their summer home in the upscale resort community of Bay Harbor, according to a source familiar with the Chatfield-Hawks relationship who was not authorized to speak because of an ongoing criminal investigation. All players must be registered at Netball North Harbour to be eligible for trials. Samantha has 8 jobs listed on their profile. "When GCSI became available, they approached the tribe, and tribal leadership decided to add additionalhelp to the lobbying efforts," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Little River Band. Amber McCann, Nessel's spokeswoman, declined to comment on whether the former speaker's ties to GCSI are part of the ongoing investigation. Rebekah claimed she kept the incidents secret from her family and husband because she was ashamed and afraid to tell them. For now, it would be nice for Speaker Wentworth to explain why you should continue to pay the salary of a state employee who he apparently doesn't feel is fit to continue working for his political entities. Foster supported expanding civil rights protections in Michigan to . His current term ends on December 31, 2024. He claimed to Bridge that hed worked in Lansing as Lees driver and would take the rising politician to strip clubs and to meet with various women, including a former staffer. (. Chatfield has said the relationship was consensual. "He destroyed me, and has controlled my life since I was 15-16, the past 10-11 years," Rebekah Chatfield told Bridge Michigan in a series of interviews, published Friday, about the allegations against her brother-in-law. She said that she eventually stopped resisting. Another of Lee's brothers, Paul Chatfield, 27, said he believes there was "inappropriate behavior" between his sister-in-law and older brother but questioned her account of the alleged abuse in terms of when it started and how far it escalated. But they declined to answer questions from The News about the firm's relationship with Chatfield, issuing a statement saying they operate in "an extremely competitive, regulated lobbying environment. Rebekah told Bridge Michigan she felt she had no way out from the relationship. Full QLD Squad. 182 talking about this. It has caused great pain to his wife and family, and they are working through this together. MACKINAC ISLAND Investigators have searched the northern Michigan home of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel confirmed to Bridge Michigan on Wednesday. The AG's affidavit reportedly also says Aaron Chatfield got Adderall for lobbyist Noel LaPorte of Capitol Advocacy Services Group. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said on Twitter the GOP leaders are "flying to D.C. at Trump's beck and call, willingly participating in the president's desperate attempt to overturn the election . [3] The district was created in 1965, when the . So he would manipulate me, he would mess with my emotions.". Greg Reid. They wanted us to manage them," Scofes said of the Little River Band. The City of Detroit is another GCSI client. Rebekah acknowledged to the Bridge that at times it was she who initiated contact with Lee, but denied that it was consensual. In October, The News first reported that Nessel's investigators have inquired about how three Chatfield siblings landed jobs at the same cannabis retailer that is represented by GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. In 2019, like politicians before him who aspired to be speaker, Wentworth set up a second PAC. I couldnt see what would happen past then. Easy 1-Click Apply (LIVEOPS) Remote Work-From-Home Independent Contractor - Call Center Representative job in Chatfield, MN. Lansing Former House Speaker Lee Chatfield repeatedly provided favorable treatment to a prominent Lansing lobbying firm's clients while receiving personal benefits in a relationship that exposes weaknesses in the state's scant ethics laws, a Detroit News investigation shows. Jack Chatfield ( Republican Party) is a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 67. 2 Beds. Chatfield was a teacher, coach and athletic director at the school. I couldn't see what would happen past then. Lee's attorney told PEOPLE on Friday that he is "innocent of the false rape claims made against him," adding that he had an affair with his accuser while he was married but that the relationship was consensual and happened while both were over the age of 18. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married to the politicians younger brother, claims the former speaker assaulted her more times than I can count beginning when she was 15 years old more than a decade ago. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. Democratic House leader Donna Lasinski and Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, demand a bipartisan investigation into the allegations facing former House Speaker Lee Chatfield at a press conference . In mid-February 2021, after leaving office, Chatfield was appointed as the new CEO of Southwest Michigan First, a privately funded economic development organization covering the seven counties of southwest Michigan (Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren). Chatfield's sister-in-law has accused him of sexual assault, and police have sought records related to his finances during his 2014 campaign and . He said he didn't know about the alleged sexual abuse though he "always had questions.". After three two-year terms, Chatfield's career as a state representative ended on Dec. 31, 2020. He went on to become the youngest speaker of the House in more than 100 years, according to his biography on the . For a decade, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians sought an off-reservation casino in Muskegon County, a project that supporters argued would generate an estimated $200 million a year in revenues for the tribe. She also helped get Wentworth elected and was treasurer of his political action committees. SOLD JUN 10, 2022. Explosive allegations about excessive political spending were revealed this week in the ongoing investigation into former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield. The emerging details of how Chatfield used his influence have the potential to spur an overhaul of how Lansing operates as Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate in January. The center didn't register to lobby state officials until 2021. State law requires lobbyist agents to report entities that pay them or reimburse them for advocacy efforts. Gretchen Whitmer and the GOP-controlled Legislature. One of those firms is Governmental Consultant Services, Inc., also known as GCSI. It's more than four times what they spent on Wentworth, who succeeded Chatfield as speaker. Their visit to Washington comes as Trump . Owen did not return my messages seeking comment. He destroyed me, and has controlled my life since I was 15-16, the past 10-11 years, she said. Aaron quit school earlier to support his brothers political career. She said he had affairs and was in a sexual relationship with the victim, but they were both adults when the affair took place. I always had questions, he told Bridge. She was an adult woman when their affair began, and she chose to continue the affair," the attorney continued. The woman who accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield of multiple sexual assaults since she was a teenager was revealed to be his own sister-in-law.. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married . So if I told (the Chatfields), that would, that would ruin everything. Another source who declined to be identified because of the ongoing investigation said Chatfield visited a home Hawks owned in Bay Harbor on at least two occasions. Lee Chatfield, the one-time state House of Representatives speaker, denies any criminal wrongdoing; says sex with woman, who'd eventually wed his brother, was consensual. Chatfield's actions as speaker are the subject of an ongoing probe into an alleged "criminal enterprise." 43w. Soon after GCSI got involved, Chatfield joined the campaign for the project. The accuser, now 26, filed a criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department, which referred it to state police earlier this week. 25 1988) , ' . The affidavits also provide insights into what investigators have been told, as well as reveal some of the evidence they already have. Chatfield was term limited from office in 2020. Some lobbying firms even have fundraising facilities in their buildings that lawmakers can use to throw parties and raise dough. Email: jack.chatfield@nmlegis.gov Sponsored Legislation: 2023 Regular 2022 3rd Special 2022 Regular 2021 2nd Special 2021 Special 2021 Regular 2020 2nd Special 2020 1st Special 2020 Regular 2019 Regular He assumed office on January 1, 2019. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. See if you qualify! The lobbying firm that now represents the center is Public Strategies Group, which Chatfield's former chief of staff, Minard, launched after leaving the Legislature at the end of 2020. The previous three House speakers received a combined total of $4,180 in food and drink from all Michigan lobbyists over eight years. In 2018, "the Great Lakes Center for the Arts reached out" to Chatfield requesting assistance with an economic development project in his House district, according to Orlene Hawks' statement. Michigan's lack of an open records law covering legislators makes it impossible to obtain Chatfield's email communications about the $1 million appropriation. The relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers in Lansing for many years has been too cozy for my taste. [6] Chatfield had previously introduced a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives to make handgun registration voluntary. Mr. View Samantha Chatfield's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. In 2018, Orlene Hawks, wife of GCSI leader Mike Hawks, was on the arts center's board of directors. "By no stretch of the imagination is that social welfare," said longtime elections lawyer Mark Brewer, whose main areas of practice include campaign finance and nonprofit law. Southwest Michigan First, a Kalamazoo-based economic development organization, has named former House Speaker Lee Chatfield as CEO. State Representative Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) said the House can't punish Chatfield. IE 11 is not supported. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married to the former Michigan state representative's younger brother Aaron, gives details of alleged abuse that began years ago when she was a teenager At some point in 2020, GCSI, which had been working for the Gun Lake tribal casino located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and Noel LaPorte, another Lansing lobbyist who has worked with GCSI on other matters, began talking to lawmakers on behalf of the Little River Band. [15][16], Chatfield's successor, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, has ordered all members to preserve records dealing with the conduct of Chatfield. "If I told [the Chatfields], that would, that would ruin everything. Shirkey and Representative Lee Chatfield, the top two Republican leaders of Michigan's legislative chambers, are set to meet with Trump on Friday. Lee Chatfield. Thanks for contacting us. She still serves as the director of LARA, which oversees professional licensing and regulates the liquor and marijuana industries. Lee Chatfield has denied wrongdoing and said he had a consensual affair. Rebekah says she spent time in the Chatfield home, babysitting his young children with his wife and spending the night when it was too late to venture home. "It's hard to turn a mayor down," Soave testified in 2013 during Kilpatrick's trial on public corruption charges. Hauck did not provide additional details about his discussion with Chatfield. 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