Michigan lawmakers forced
out over extramarital affair hit with felony charges.
LANSING, Mich. — Two former Michigan lawmakers were charged Friday with felony misconduct in office, the state attorney general announced, after their extramarital affair snowballed into a political scandal when one of them concocted a bizarre cover story about being caught with a male prostitute.
Attorney General Bill Schuette said former Republican state Rep. Todd Courser faces three counts of misconduct in office, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Schuette said Courser also was charged with perjury, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Former Republican Rep. Cindy Gamrat faces two charges of misconduct.
The two, Schuette said at a news conference, “sadly failed to serve their constituents in an honorable fashion. And worse yet, we allege … that they broke the law.”
One of the misconduct charges against Courser stems from him allegedly ordering a staffer to send an email to GOP activists stating that Courser had been caught with a male prostitute.
The email was intended to make his affair with Gamrat appear less believable and allow Courser to claim he had been blackmailed. A second misconduct charge alleges that Courser lied to Michigan House investigators about the email.
The most serious charge of perjury is unrelated to the sex scandal. It alleges that Courser lied under oath about authorizing staff to forge his signature on House bills.
Gamrat is charged with lying to investigators in an effort to cover up the affair.
Courser resigned on Sept. 11, and Gamrat was formally expelled from the House the same day. Schuette’s office said the two lawmakers have been asked to turn themselves in to the Michigan State Police.