March 15, 2006

            LANSING – Attorney General Mike Cox announced today that a former State employee has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $180,000 from the State of Michigan.

            “The public must be able to trust that public employees not abuse their position,” said Cox.  “My office will continue to protect the taxpayers from anyone, whether it be a scam artist or a state employee, who attempts to defraud them.”

            The Complaint previously filed in the 54-A District Court alleged that between April 1, 2004 and January 1, 2005, former Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employee Charles Andrus Byam, Jr. created a scheme in which funds that were to pay for various permits issued by the MDEQ were instead diverted to Byam's personal bank account.  It was alleged that Byam created an invoice so that when renewing their permits, permit holders made their checks payable to the Defendant instead of the State of Michigan.  The Defendant would then intercept those checks, initial them, and deposit them electronically at various ATM machines around Ingham County.  An internal audit uncovered multiple discrepancies which, in turn, led to the Defendant. 

            Sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. in Ingham County in the 54-A District Court.

            This case was investigated by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality-Office of Criminal Investigation (MDEQ-OCI)

            For more information, contact Rusty Hills or Nate Bailey, Attorney General's Office, at (517) 373-8060.

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