Former court clerk charged in claimed scheme to dismiss $40K worth of tickets for $20K in bribes
A former clerk for a busy Detroit court is facing a forgery case.
Ex-clerk Annette Bates, 56, is accused of coordinating with a longtime acquaintance who didn’t work at the 36th District Court. Authorities say the two dismissed some $40,000 worth of tickets in exchange for about $20,000 in bribes over a two-year period, according to CBS Detroit and the Detroit News.
The alleged scheme by Bates and Charles Fair, 44, who is also charged with forgery, took place without the knowledge of judges, authorities say. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
The office of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and a public corruption task force of the FBI pursued the case. The AG says it involves forged ticket dismissals, fines and citations purportedly issued by 36th District Court judges.
