Ex-Michigan House Speaker (R) admits accepting bribes to approve marijuana license
Former Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to accepting more than $110,000 in bribes when he chaired a state board that granted the state’s first medical marijuana business licenses.
The bribes, which included trips on private jets, were made in exchange for approving the license applications of at least two businesses, Johnson admitted in federal court in Grand Rapids.
Johnson, who served as speaker of Michigan’s House of Representatives from 2001 through 2004, has been at the center of a federal corruption probe surrounding the board, given early authority over the budding marijuana industry.
In a short statement after the hearing, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said the investigation may not be over.
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/04/ex-michigan-house-speaker-admits-accepting-more-than-110000-in-bribes-to-approve-marijuana-licenses.html
