Former Wayne County employee sentenced for $2.3M defrauding scheme
DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - John Gibson, 55, of Detroit, a former Wayne County Roads Division employee, was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for conspiring to defraud the county out of over $2.3 million, the United States Attorney's Office said.
He pleaded guilty in July 2023.
According to officials, Gibson and fellow Wayne County employee Kevin Gunn schemed to use taxpayer dollars to make unauthorized purchases of generators and other equipment from stores, which they sold for hundreds of thousands in personal profit, the attorney's office said.
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Gunn also pleaded guilty as part of the scheme and was sentenced to nearly three years in prison in November 2023, officials said.
The two men solicited vendors on behalf of the county and submitted invoices that the vendors falsified, stating they were authorized to sell the items to the county under their contracts, according to officials. After approval, the department paid each vendor with taxpayer funds.
An investigation revealed the vendors purchased 596 generators and other equipment, such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, and backpack blowers.
"The alleged misconduct by Mr. Gibson was a betrayal of his fellow government employees and is not representative of the honest and hard work they perform on a daily basis," stated Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "The defendant was entrusted with taxpayer money, which was intended to be used for a specific purpose, not his personal profit. I would like to commend Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the Wayne County investigators for their assistance during this case. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to take strong action against individuals who seek to corrupt the integrity and fair administration of government programs."