No new charges will be filed following a three-year investigation of corruption in Wayne County government.
The announcement came Monday from U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.
More from their press release:
“I would like to thank and commend the officials and staff of the Wayne County Executive and the Wayne County Corporation Counsel for their cooperation during this investigation,” said McQuade. “Their assistance and openness allowed federal investigators to carefully review and assess a number of complex issues regarding the operation of county government.”
The FBI's investigation into corruption in Wayne County resulted in the convictions of five individuals, including Wayne County’s Chief Information Officer and an Assistant Wayne County Executive who served as the Director of HealthChoice of Michigan.
The announcement is good news for former Wayne County executive Robert Ficano. The bad publicity from the investigation, the county's poor finances, and a disastrous jail project led to Ficano’s defeat in a primary election last August.
Today, Ficano said he was relieved the investigation was over.
More from the Detroit News:
“Today, my record and my good name have been cleared and I move on with confidence and renewed faith,” [Ficano said]. “Those who prejudged and sensationalized the situation and the people involved in it have extracted a heavy price and ruined the reputation of many decent and honest citizens. I hope there is a lesson in this for them.”
Ficano repeatedly denied wrongdoing during the investigation. The FBI started investigating officials in the Wayne county government after dozens of people were convicted of corruption at Detroit City Hall, including former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
