FBI agents are investigating public corruption allegations involving current and former Pontiac city officials amid a grand jury probe that raises questions about whether bribery, conflicts and illicit cash have tainted Pontiac’s attempts to launch a marijuana industry.
Emails obtained by The Detroit News through Freedom of Information Act requests filed with the city reveal the investigation has involved the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit securing a grand jury subpoena for a former city official’s bank and personnel records.
And on Nov. 1, the FBI traveled to a Missouri farm owned by a marijuana industry lawyer and questioned a person there who helped finance the election campaign of City Councilwoman Melanie Rutherford in 2021, according to four sources familiar with the investigation. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.
Spokeswomen for the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office declined comment and no one has been charged with wrongdoing amid the ongoing investigation.
Read more at The Detroit News