Bertram "Bert" Johnson | |
---|---|
Member of the Michigan Senate from the 2nd district | |
In office January 1, 2011 –March 2, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Martha G. Scott |
Succeeded by | Adam Hollier |
Member of the MichiganHouseofRepresentatives from the 5th district | |
In office January 1,2007 –January 1,2011 | |
Preceded by | William McConico |
Succeeded by | John Olumba |
Personal details | |
Born | Detroit,Michigan,U.S. | October 20,1973
Political party | Democratic |
Children | India,Bertram,Nicholas and David |
Residence | Highland Park,Michigan |
Alma mater | University of Detroit Mercy |
Website | Official Website |
Bertram "Bert" Johnson (born October 20,1973) is a Democratic former member of the Michigan Senate and a convicted criminal. [1]
Johnson previously represented the 2nd district,which comprises northeast Detroit,Highland Park,Hamtramck,Harper Woods and all five Grosse Pointe Communities. From 2007 to 2010,Johnson served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
Johnson attended University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. He subsequently attended the University of Detroit Mercy,where he studied Criminology and Security Administration. [2]
On May 27,1993,Johnson participated in the break-in and armed robbery of a cash box from the Oakland Hills Country Club,where he worked a caddy. Johnson pleaded "no contest" to felony charges of armed robbery and breaking and entering and was sentenced to eight months in prison,followed by three years on probation. [3]
In April 2007,Johnson was spotted leaving the state Capitol behind the wheel of a 2001 Jaguar despite having a suspended license and an invalid plate. [3]
On March 27,2017,Johnson's home and Senate office were searched in a raid jointly conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Michigan State Police. [4] During the raid,FBI agents seized a Western Field 12-gauge shotgun and a Remington 16-gauge shotgun. Johnson was not allowed to own firearms due to his 1993 felony conviction. [5]
In April 2017,Johnson was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges of conspiracy and theft,for using federal funds to pay a "ghost employee" on his Senate payroll who did no actual work. [6] Due to his indictment,a recall petition was filed against Johnson by Robert Davis. [7] On April 18,2017,Johnson was arraigned in front of Magistrate David R. Grand in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan,pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bail. [8]
In February 2018,federal prosecutors offered Johnson a plea deal. The deal involved Johnson pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program,a charge punishable by up to five years in federal prison. In return,prosecutors would have dropped a second theft charge,a 10-year felony. Johnson rejected this plea deal and requested to go to trial. [9]
On March 2,2018,Johnson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit theft,admitting that he put a "ghost employee" on the Senate payroll for almost a year,paying her $23,000 for no work. The "ghost employee",Glynis Thornton,cooperated with authorities after getting targeted in another corruption scheme involving state-run Detroit Education Achievement Authority principals who took bribes. Thornton secretly recorded a conversation with Johnson regarding the scheme at his home in November 2015. [1]
Federal prosecutors sought a 12-month prison sentence,but U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman sentenced Johnson to only 90 days in jail. Johnson was also ordered to pay $23,134 in restitution to the state. [10]
In October 2013,Johnson asked Thornton for a $30,000 loan,she said no. Johnson then asked Thornton for $20,000. Again,the answer was "no." Johnson tried a third time asking for $10,000,which Thornton granted. Over the next five months,Thornton sought repayment for the loan,but Johnson didn't have the money. Sometime in March 2014,Johnson proposed to Thornton that he could repay her his personal loan by putting Thornton on his Michigan Senate Office payroll for repayment. Thornton agreed to Johnson's plan and Thornton was hired as a "community liaison" on March 28,2014. Thornton was paid $22 an hour for her no-show job.
Three days after putting Thornton on his Senate payroll,Johnson asked her for an additional $4,000. Thornton had an employee issue a check,cash it and give the money to the Johnson. [11] By October 2014,Johnson needed more money. He asked Thornton for $3,000 cash for payment of his property taxes. Johnson picked up the cash from Thornton's home and repaid this loan." [11]
Thornton remained on the Johnson's payroll until January 2015. In all,she received $23,205 but provided no work. [11]
Three hours after admitting he stole from the taxpayers,Johnson submitted his resignation from his Senate seat. In a one-sentence letter,Johnson wrote:"It is with profound regret that I tender my resignation,effective March 2,2018." [12]
Johnson was evicted from his campaign office in 2010. In 2015,Johnson paid a $7,446 bill after a nearly five-year legal battle with the landlord ended in a court order. The company had been unable to collect in 2011 because Johnson owed child support to multiple women in Oakland and Wayne counties. [3]
The Southfield-based Foster McCollum White and Associates consulting firm sued Johnson in 2012,alleging he stiffed it on a $10,000 bill and then hurt the business by badmouthing it as the firm sought another contract. A court eventually ordered Johnson to pay $2,500,and it took 15 months for him to settle the debt. [3]
Johnson owes the Chicago-based Paladin Political Group more than $29,000 for 2013 fundraising work. His failure to pay a court-ordered judgment prompted a bench warrant for his arrest in 2015,which was resolved,but Paladin Political Group said he still hadn't paid up. "We tried to put him under collections,but we were told to get in line," Managing Partner Dave Seman said. [13]
Johnson also failed to make disclosures required under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act,accumulating nearly $16,000 in late fees between his candidate committee and a political action fund. Michigan Secretary of State records showed that Johnson's official candidate committee failed to file three required reports in 2016 and the first report of 2017. The committee owed $4,000 in late fees,and $1,000 of that amount was referred to the Treasury Department for collection. [3]
The "Consensus PAC" linked to Johnson and started by a former staffer owes $11,775. The Michigan Secretary of State referred $9,775 of that amount to the state Treasury Department for collection. [3]
From 2001 to 2006,Johnson worked as chief of staff to then-Representative Bill McConico. [3]
Term limits forced McConico out of office at the end of 2007,and Johnson won a 12-candidate primary to succeed him in the heavily Democratic state House District 5. [2] Former House Speaker Craig DeRoche considered not seating Johnson in the state House because of his felony criminal record,but the Highland Park Democrat was sworn in and seated by January 2007. [3]
While serving in the State House,Johnson was named Chair of the "Detroit Caucus",which is composed of the twelve State Representatives and five State Senators whose districts include Detroit. He was also Chair of the House Committee on Regulatory Reforms and sat on the Health Policy,Energy and Technology,Banking and Financial Services and Public Employee Health Care Reform committees.
In 2010,Senator Martha G. Scott was forced to vacate the 2nd Senate District due to term limits. In the August 2010 Primary,Johnson beat out former State Representative Ken Daniels. [2] After the election,Johnson was named the campaign chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. [14]
During his legislative tenure,Johnson possessed the worst attendance record in the state Legislature. No state legislator missed more votes than Johnson,who has missed 712 of 5,115 roll calls,according to data compiled by MichiganVotes.org. [3]
Johnson lost a 2012 bid for the U.S. House,finishing fourth in a Democratic primary dominated by John Conyers. [3]
Instead of challenging Conyers again,Johnson chaired Conyers' re-election campaign in 2014, [3] while cruising to re-election in the Michigan Senate. [3]
Due to his conviction on a felony involving "dishonesty,deceit,fraud or a breach of the public trust",Johnson is barred under state law from holding state or local office for 20 years. [10]
Johnson is single with four children. [15] He has one daughter,India and three sons,Bertram,Nicholas and David. [16]
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is an American convicted fraudster and racketeer, who previously served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit – from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002. Kilpatrick resigned as mayor in September 2008 after being convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to four months in jail and was released on probation after serving 99 days.
John James Conyers Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit. During his final three terms, his district included many of Detroit's western suburbs, as well as a large portion of the Downriver area.
Carlos "Charlie" Uresti is an American attorney and Democratic politician from San Antonio, Texas. From November 2006 until his resignation in June 2018, he served as a member of the Texas State Senate representing Senate District 19, one of the largest geographical senatorial districts in the Texas Senate, covering a third of the Texas-Mexico border. Prior to his election to the Texas State Senate, he represented the 118th district in the Texas House of Representatives from January 1997 until November 2006.
Gary Charles Peters Sr. is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015.
The 2008 congressional elections in Michigan were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Michigan in the United States House of Representatives. Michigan had fifteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
Monica Ann Conyers is an American politician in Detroit, Michigan. Elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005, she was elected by its members to serve as president pro tempore of the council for the four-year term.
Pedro Espada Jr. is an American convicted felon and former politician. A Democrat, Espada served in the New York Senate.
Virgil K Smith is a Democratic former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate. Smith previously represented the 4th Senate district, which is composed of Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Southgate and the north side of Detroit. From 2003 to 2008, Smith represented State House district 7, comprising the northern tier of Detroit.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, a decrease of one following the 2010 United States Census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on August 7, 2012. The filing deadline for candidates to file to run in the primary was May 15. Except for two seats, all the incumbents sought re-election. The open seats were the 5th and 11th Congressional Districts. Due to the loss of one seat from the 2010 Census, two congressmen ran against each other.
The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the election of Michigan's governor, as well as the Class 2 U.S. Senate Seat.
Brian Roderick Banks is an American politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. Banks was a candidate for the 2nd District of the Michigan Senate in 2018. He has been convicted of eight felonies related to writing bad checks and credit card fraud.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate in 33 other states and various state and local elections. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary election was April 19.
The Michigan's 4th senate district special election, 2016 was held on November 8, 2016. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary election is April 19.
Ian Kyle Conyers is an American politician who represented the 4th District of Michigan in the Michigan Senate for one term. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including a gubernatorial election, other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The filing deadline for candidates filing for the August 7 primary was April 24, 2018. Unless otherwise indicated, the Cook Political Report has rated the congressional races as safe for the party of the incumbent.
The 2024 United States elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. During this presidential election year, the President and Vice President will be elected. In addition, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested to determine the membership of the 119th United States Congress. Thirteen state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested.
A special election for Michigan's 13th congressional district was held on November 6, 2018, following the resignation of Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers.
Brenda B. Jones is an American politician who served as a member of the Detroit City Council from 2006 to 2022, and as the president of the City Council from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Jones also briefly served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district from November 29, 2018, to January 3, 2019. She won the 2018 special election to succeed John Conyers following his resignation in December 2017, and was succeeded by Rashida Tlaib. She ran for the seat again in 2020, losing the Democratic primary to Tlaib by a wide margin.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect a Class I member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. It will be held concurrently with the 2024 United States presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate, other elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Primary elections will take place on August 6, 2024.