Prosecutors plan to file financial crimes charges against the former Michigan House leader, his attorney said Tuesday.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said she would speak to reporters in the capital at 2 p.m
CBS News Detroit is streaming live coverage of Nessel’s announcement.
Lee Chatfield, a Republican who is no longer a state lawmaker, was speaker of the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2020 when the Republican Party controlled the chamber.
READ: Couple linked to former House Speaker Lee Chatfield accused of running criminal enterprises
“We have learned that the charges are financial in nature,” Chatfield’s attorney, Mary Chartier, told The Associated Press. “We are prepared to fight them every step of the way.”
“It took almost two and a half years for the AG’s office to issue an indictment. It would be pretty lame if it took that long,” Chartier said.
Chatfield has gone under research because his sister-in-law said he sexually assaulted her. He has denied the allegations and said it was a consensual affair.
“We have been informed that there is no CSC charge or anything like that,” Chartier told AP, referring to criminal sexual conduct.
Two people who were top aides to Chatfield when he led the House of Representatives were charged last year with crimes including embezzlement of nonprofit funds created for political purposes. Rob and Anne Minard have pleaded not guilty.
