In December 2020, the federal government made determinations in favor of the Muskegon County project. Investigations take time, but dedicated diggers will almost always turn up the truth. The night before the wedding, while Rebekah was crying inside of the Chatfields home, she alleged Lee offered to comfort her, before forcing her into a closet for a sex act. 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 . 0:05 / 0:31. She recalled one time where Lee allegedly visited with his wife and two children, And during my husbands soccer game, she said, he took me back to my house and assaulted me.. "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. Getting to the bottom of Chatfield's relationship with GCSI has the potential to get messy. "He did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship," the attorney, Mary Chartier, said. Elected in 2019, Chatfield represents the 67th district, which includes Tucumcari, New Mexico, Ute Lake State Park, and Clayton Lake State Park. Michigan needs comprehensive reform of its lobbying laws to require better disclosure of gifts, food, drink and travel for lawmakers, said Brewer, a former Michigan Democratic Party chairman. Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said at some point Chatfield changed his position. According to the News, the Attorney General investigator's affidavit said Chatfield asked his brother Aaron to buy Adderall for GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. In the 2019-20 session, as speaker, Chatfield again pushed to advance the legislation without success because of opposition from members of his own caucus and his staff. Neither of the 19-year olds were prepared for marriage, and had second thoughts, the report said. In 2017, the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency said the Detroit Salt Company was the only business of four road salt suppliers with state contracts that would have benefited from the change. Michigan State Police are investigating former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) after a woman filed a criminal complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her over 12 years, beginning when she was 14 or 15 years old, according to police and the complainant's attorney. "I just saw the way he looked at her," Aaron said. Chatfield's attorney, Mary Chartier, defended the three-term lawmaker in a statement. [15][16], Chatfield's successor, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, has ordered all members to preserve records dealing with the conduct of Chatfield. Shirkey and Representative Lee Chatfield, the top two Republican leaders of Michigan's legislative chambers, are set to meet with Trump on Friday. [13][11][14], In February 2022, state police searched the home of Chatfield's former top staff members, Rob and Anne Minard. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. In 2018, Chatfield attempted to bring a loaded, unregistered handgun onto a commercial flight at Pellston Regional Airport. Soon after GCSI got involved, Chatfield joined the campaign for the project. But on Feb. 25, 2021, about two months after Chatfield left office, the House approved a symbolic resolution in opposition to off-reservation gaming. The Emmet County Republican's rental of the Lansing apartment from the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association likely skirted the spirit of the state's lobbying law, one expert said, because the trade group never disclosed the transactions over six years. Various groups including the City of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Promise, pulled support from Southwest Michigan First. Lee Chatfield, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives penned to a letter to Gov. I don't want to get ahead of myself again so far everyone connected to the Chatfield matter accused of wrongdoing has professed their innocence but I love trials. 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. LaPorte's firm, Capitol Advocacy Services Group LLC, is a registered lobbyist for other tribal casino operators, including the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, which runs the Odawa casinos in Petoskey and Mackinaw City in Chatfield's district in Emmet and Cheboygan counties. Chatfield deeply regrets the decisions he has made. 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. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Wakefield chairman John Minards confident in clubs hybrid Belle Vue pitch, SC House Freedom Caucus takes colleagues to federal court on free speech grounds, Michigan coronavirus cases: Tracking the pandemic. 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. She said the sexual assaults when she stayed at Lees home became more frequent, eventually culminating in sex. Mark N. Clement. Chatfield was speaker of the state House from 2019 to 2020. Anne Minard was treasurer of each of Chatfield's PACs. Lee portrays himself as a family tradition, conservative guy who believes in the Bible and the Bible is so important, said Aaron, 26. "They like to prop up the speaker that is going to ask the least amount of questions about what theyre trying to achieve," said Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Berrien Springs, of Lansing lobbying firms like GCSI. Stephen Mayne sat down with him for this week's Chairman interview - the first of 2018 . 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 . Aaron Chatfield, Lee's younger brother, spoke with Bridge Michigan and said he supports his wife. Scheduling an inspection. , , . Let's hope the Attorney General's investigators, who work for an agency headed by Democrat Dana Nessel, don't flinch if the trail leads them in the direction of other Democrats, or their allies. 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'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. $252,000 Last Sold Price. [3] Chatfield and the Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey both repeatedly clashed with Whitmer over issues such as the state budget, road funding, auto insurance legislation, and criminal justice legislation. "Mr. Chatfield believes that an objective review of the facts rather than mere speculation designed to gain media attention and the publics interest will show that his actions and all financial actions were in accord with the law," Chartier said. 2023 Representative Information. State law requires lobbyist agents to report entities that pay them or reimburse them for advocacy efforts. The partnership between Wentworth and the Minards was lucrative, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to the PACs. Samantha has 8 jobs listed on their profile. Police say they are continuing to investigate. What's your enquiry about? State Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, is the new Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. Governmental Consultant Services, Inc.'s logo in the window of the multi-client lobbying firm's downtown Lansing office. Lee, a Republican, was the youngest person to serve as Speaker of the House in Michigan in over 100 years. But it wasn't until he testified to providing then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his family with about 20 round-trip flights to the Bahamas, Florida, New York and Texas on Soave's private jet that we learned how he greased the gears of government. Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers who met with then-President Donald Trump at the . Which is too bad, because I have a lot of questions for him about one of his employees, who is at the heart of what could turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in Michigan political history. As a former military policeman with a master's degree in leadership, Wentworth should understand the importance of reassuring the public. Ill talk to Aaron, you guys are getting married. Rebekah Chatfield told Bridge. That said, it is clear the attorney general's investigators believe they are peeling back the layers of an onion that will make anyone who cares about integrity and good government weep bitter tears. The AG's affidavit reportedly also says Aaron Chatfield got Adderall for lobbyist Noel LaPorte of Capitol Advocacy Services Group. 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 . Rebekah would allegedly stay at Lees home often, and she said the touching began as unwanted gropes in the basement stairwell, eventually progressing to sexual intercourse, she told Bridge. The last payments from Wentworth's PACs to Victor Strategies were made on Feb. 5, with the notation "bookkeeping no other vendor." Rebekahs mother, Debbie Newberry, claimed to have seen a change in her daughters behavior in her later teenage years as Lee allegedly began to groom her daughter. Easy 1-Click Apply (LIVEOPS) Remote Work-From-Home Independent Contractor - Call Center Representative job in Chatfield, MN. Rebekah, now 26, filed the criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department against Lee, 33, she said in several interviews with Bridge Michigan. House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Rep. Jim Lilly were photographed on Friday night indulging in a bottle of Dom Perignon at the hotel's Benjamin Bar & Lounge. When Wentworth first ran for state representative in 2016, the Farwell Republican's wife, Heather, was treasurer of his campaign. 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 was term limited from office in 2020. ", Former Michigan Lawmaker Accused of Sexually Assaulting Sister-in-Law When She Was a Minor, Pa. 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Party in $20 Million Lawsuit, Marilyn Manson Files Defamation Suit Against Evan Rachel Wood amid Sex Abuse Allegations, Prosecutor Drops Groping Charge Against Andrew Cuomo but Says Accuser Was 'Credible', Andrew Cuomo Will Not Face Charges After Being Accused of Unwanted Kissing by 2 Women, How Matt Lauer's Life Has Changed 4 Years After He Was Fired from the 'Today' Show, Singer Lisa Gentile Accuses Chris Noth of Sexually Assaulting Her and Threatening to 'Ruin' Her Career, accused him of sexually assaulting her for years. Aaron quit school earlier to support his brothers political career. 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. So we're left with the public record, which raises some serious questions that deserve answers. She did what shes supposed to do. Rebekah says the alleged abuse began with unwelcome touching and escalated to unwanted sex, which happened "more times than I can count." Dismiss. Most prosecutors and judges prefer plea deals to trials. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019, and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Here's why. [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. With trouble at home, she became more dependent on the Chatfield family, who ran that whole church and school that had become essential to her social life, she said. On July 22, 2020, the Levering Republican sent a letter to the federal government asking for approval "as soon as possible," according to a copy of the letter obtained by The News. Hauck said he urged the speaker not to go forward with the resolution. In a statement, Orlene Hawks didn't answer directly about whether she had spoken to Chatfield about the $1 million appropriation. Lot 1318 Nowlan Street (Willow), Gisborne, Vic 3437. Complaints about lobbying are investigated by the Attorney General's office. The sister-in-law of a former, high-ranking Republican leader in Michigan accused the lawmaker of sexually assaulting her for years when she was an underaged teen, officials said Monday.. Lee Chatfield, 33, who served as speaker of the state House of Representatives in 2019 and 2020, denies any criminal wrongdoing and instead admits to extramarital but consensual sex with the accuser . LaPorte did not return my message. 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. 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