Former MI House Speaker Rick Johnson pleads guilty to bribery

A former Michigan House Speaker and state Representative pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to accepting bribes while representing the state on its now-defunct medical marijuana approval board.

Rick Johnson, 70, of Leroy, served as a state Representative from 1999 to 2001 and Speaker from 2001 to 2004. He was appointed chair of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board in May 2017, a state panel that was in charge of reviewing and approving licenses from businesses that wanted to grow and sell the plant for medical use. Johnson left the board in 2019.

A charge of accepting a bribe, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, was filed against him April 6.

Johnson was quiet but responsive in court Tuesday, only speaking to respond to Magistrate Judge Phillip Green's questions during the approximately 50-minute hearing in Grand Rapids' federal courthouse.

He was released on a personal recognizance bond, meaning he was allowed to leave without making a deposit, Green decided Tuesday.

Johnson was ordered to pay the government back $110,200 because officials said that's the amount in bribes he took. Green said Johnson would also need to make his financial documents accessible to the government.

A condition of Johnson's plea deal is that his wife, Janice, cannot be charged, the judge revealed Tuesday. Another person charged in the scheme, business owner John Dalaly, said that Johnson had told him to hire his wife as a consultant on his medical marijuana license application.

While serving as chairperson, Johnson allegedly accepted multiple cash bribes and benefits worth more than $100,000, Totten said.

One of the bribes came from Dalaly, 70, of West Bloomfield. Dalaly pleaded guilty to the bribery scheme Friday.

Dalaly said he provided at least $68,200 in cash and other benefits to Johnson, including two private flights to Canada.

Johnson and his lawyer Nick Dondzila did not take questions from reporters as they left the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids on Tuesday.

Lobbyists Brian Pierce, 45, of Midland, and Vincent Brown, 32, of Royal Oak, also allegedly gave Johnson $42,000 in cash payments and benefits, according to Totten.

They are facing one charge each of conspiracy to commit bribery, a felony punishable by up to five years and a $250,000 fine.

All four men are cooperating with federal law enforcement.

The judge said Johnson should expect to be sentenced within three to four months.

Medical marijuana use was approved by voters in Michigan in 2008, while recreational use won the support of voters in 2018.

After court, Totten told reporters that the investigation into the bribes was ongoing, and said his office "may or may not bring future charges" in the case.

“What I can say is that the investigation and the prosecution of public corruption is a priority for our office," Totten said. "We will follow it wherever we find it and when we do find it, we will take the actions necessary to give Michiganders the accountability that they deserve. We will conduct ourselves with the independence and the impartiality that is the hallmark of everything we do, and we will follow the evidence wherever it may lead.”

Johnson is among the majority of Michigan Speakers in the last few decades to move from public office into lobbying. The former Speaker worked as a partner for Lansing lobbying firm Dodak Johnson with fellow former Speaker Lew Dodak.

Most recently, former Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, advocated for a two-year "cooling off period" after lawmakers' departure from the legislature before becoming lobbyists. This month, just three months after leaving office, Wentworth registered as a lobbyist.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also supported tougher requirements for the transition from lawmaker to lobbyist, advocating for a five-year "cooling off" period in her 2018 "Michigan Sunshine Plan." In March, Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, introduced a plan to create a two-year waiting period on lawmaker-turned-lobbyist registration.

Johnson is not the first former Michigan Speaker to come under the scrutiny of law enforcement.

Lee Chatfield, who was Speaker from 2019 to 2021, remains under investigation for a range of alleged crimes - including the sexual abuse of his sister-in-law, beginning when she was underage and lasting for over a decade, including during his time in the Michigan Legislature. The Detroit News reports that a series of investigative documents the paper obtained show Chatfield is also being investigated for allegations of embezzlement, bribery, and campaign finance violations. The attorney general's office has since had the documents re-sealed.

Through his lawyer, Chatfield, R-Levering, has denied all claims of misconduct.

Updates on Chatfield's case remain under lock and key, as Attorney General Dana Nessel has sought to keep court documents sealed over the last nearly year and a half.