Former city official allegedly took $1,000 from bar ownerMike Martindale/The Detroit News
Pontiac - The city's longtime former fire chief took $1,000 in bribes in exchange for ignoring code violations at a bar, authorities alleged Tuesday.
Jeffrey Hawkins, who retired last year after 22 years with the Pontiac Fire Department, the last 11 as chief, was formally charged in 50th District Court with two counts of accepting a bribe as a public officer and one count of racketeering. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $5,000 fine and could be barred from public office for life.
"Public safety officials who accept bribes and ignore their duty to protect the public are doubly dangerous," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "To restore public integrity and protect public safety, this dangerous corruption must come to an end."
But Hawkins' attorney, Elbert Hatchett, said he was confident the former fire chief will be acquitted of all charges, which stemmed from an FBI investigation that was turned over to the state Attorney General's Office.
Hawkins, 46, was seen smiling throughout Tuesday's hearing before Judge Michael Martinez, but Hatchett told reporters afterward that the former fire chief "was not amused."
"We have been following this investigation for more than a year," Hatchett said. "He's convinced he did nothing wrong."
Authorities allege Hawkins accepted $500 in cash from the owner of Little David's Island Bar in August 2009 and collected $500 from an undercover FBI investigator in April 2010.
The FBI began its inquiry after the bar's owner complained to federal investigators that Hawkins had solicited a bribe in exchange for allowing the bar to remain open, authorities said.
Martinez agreed to release Hawkins on a $5,000 personal bond but ordered him to surrender his passport, wear a GPS tether and have no contact with anyone involved in the case before his next court appearance on Nov. 22.
"This is very unusual for the FBI to investigate him but then turn this over to a state rather than a federal court for prosecution," Hatchett told the judge. "But we will get to the bottom of this later."
The former chief told Martinez he is working as a cook for Raleigh Michigan Studios, an $80 million film production center that opened in April at a former General Motors truck plant in Pontiac. He is suing the city over a $4,457 monthly pension he claims he's due after his 22 years with the Fire Department.
The charges against Hawkins are the latest black eye for a city that has struggled for years with crime, financial trouble and political infighting.
Emergency Manager Louis Schimmel is trying to close a $12.5 million deficit by cutting jobs, merging departments and selling properties. This month, he fired the city clerk, city attorney and public works director.
At a news conference, Schimmel and Mayor Leon Jukowski said federal corruption offenses are not among Pontiac's problems. "The FBI has been looking around the city of Pontiac for four to five years and so far no one has been indicted yet," Jukowski said.
FBI spokesman Simon Shaykhet declined comment Tuesday.
mmartindale@detnews.com
(248) 338-0319
Staff Writers Christine Ferretti and Robert Snell contributed.
From The Detroit News.
|
