Former detective free on personal bond
Boucher accused of stealing funds
Charged with embezzling $68,000 in police asset forfeiture funds and running a criminal enterprise, ex-Hazel Park detective Sean Boucher was arraigned Thursday and released on personal bond.
A Warren resident, Boucher, 45, has been cooperating with state investigators, Ferndale 43rd District Magistrate J. Patrick Brennan said before setting bond conditions.
Boucher’s $50,000 personal bond means he is free for now and will only have to pay the money if he fails to show up in court or violates conditions of his bond.
Assistant State Attorney General Mike Frezza recommended the personal bond, which includes Boucher surrendering his passport.
The suspect is also prohibited from leaving the state or possessing any firearms or dangerous weapons.
Frezza, however, struck a harsher note in describing Boucher’s actions while he was a detective.
“These are serious charges and he faces possible imprisonment,” Frezza said. “He was entrusted with (police) forfeiture funds … He betrayed that trust multiple times and … he’s demonstrated a lack of trustworthiness.”
Boucher turned himself in to state police at the North Metro post in Oak Park on Wednesday.
“Mr. Boucher has been working with agents … and has always been reliable,” said his attorney, Paul Tylenda.
The suspect is charged with conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony; a 15-year count of embezzling over $50,000; and five 10-year felony counts of embezzlement by a public official.
The money Boucher is accused of embezzling came from nondrug forfeitures in the Hazel Park police evidence room and came primarily from drunken driving suspects, who typically pay from $100 to $500 each to reclaim impounded vehicles. He is accused of taking the money in multiple thefts from 2013 to 2017.
The forfeiture assets are used by authorities for equipment purchases, training and other resources to support law enforcement.
“Mr. Boucher allegedly stole from the city of Hazel Park and its citizens, depriving them of needed projects and public services,” said Timothy Waters, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office, in a statement. “Make no mistake, any public servant who exploits his position of trust to enrich himself will be held accountable.”
Hazel Park police first announced their investigation into Boucher’s activities several days after he was suspended without pay in September 2017. Boucher resigned from the department.
Hazel Park police turned over their initial investigation to state authorities. The case was then investigated by the FBI’s Detroit Area Public Corruption task force and presented to the Michigan Department of Attorney General for prosecution.
The date for Boucher’s next court hearing is pending. District judges in the 43rd District courts, which include Ferndale, Madison Heights and Hazel Park, are expected to recuse themselves from future hearings because Boucher worked as a police officer for 18 years in the district.
The State Court Administrator’s office is expected to soon assign Boucher’s case to a different district court.