Sources say Rick Johnson is under FBI investigation related to his role as Medical Marijuana Board Chairman

Thursday, July 11, 2019

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Sources familiar with the investigation tell West Michigan Politics that Rick Johnson is under FBI investigation for racketeering and pay-to-play corruption related to his role as Medical Marijuana Board Chairman.

Johnson, a former Speaker of the House turned lobbyist, saw his reign as Chair end earlier this year when Governor Whitmer wisely eliminated the controversial board.

The investigation was ongoing before a Bridge Magazine article from Craig Mauger of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network spotlighting Johnson and former Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof seemingly flagrantly violating state law to grease the wheel for marijuana clients.

Sources refused to comment on whether Meekhof was also under investigation in this case, or others.

West Michigan Politics has a proven track record of solid federal sources.

Last year, WMP broke the story that Mike Mitchell was busted with all sorts of government owned toys and tools in his garage:

Stay tuned for more on this developing situation…>>>

Here is part of Mauger’s Bridge story:

“Former Senate Leader Arlan Meekhof helped create the law that guides Michigan’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry. Within weeks of leaving office, he was consulting for businesses that wanted a piece of it.

In one pointed email, obtained under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, Meekhof described actions he took on behalf of three businesses he worked for that may have violated the law he helped write.

In a Feb. 21 email shared with state officials, Meekhof said he had spoken to Rick Johnson, chairman of the medical marijuana licensing board, and that Johnson was going to tell another state official to place the three businesses on the board’s March agenda. The board was in charge of deciding whether medical marijuana businesses qualified to operate in the state under the 2016 law.

Such a conversation, if it took place, could represent a violation of the 2016 law, which forbids representatives of applicants from having outside communication with licensing board members. As it happens, it was Meekhof, in his role as Republican Senate Leader, who recommended Johnson be appointed to the marijuana board in May 2017.

The behind-the-scenes communications raise questions about Meekhof’s handling of marijuana legislation while he was in office (he left the Senate because of term limits at the end of 2018) and Michigan’s lax ethics laws.”

Originally Posted here: http://westmipolitics.blogspot.com/2019/07/breaking-sources-say-rick-johnson-under.html

Posted by Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

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