Who Will Be Held Accountable? The Chatfield Case and Lansing’s Culture of Corruption

Former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield is finally facing the music. After years of unchecked power and political backroom deals, Chatfield now stands in court, accused of embezzlement, racketeering, and abusing his nonprofit slush fund to enrich himself, his family, and his cronies. But instead of accepting responsibility, he’s pointing fingers at everyone else.

For years, Michigan’s political elite have been feeding at the trough, stuffing their pockets with dark money donations, unaccounted-for funds, and luxury perks, all while taxpayers suffer. Chatfield is now the latest hog to get caught, but he won’t be the last.

Lavish Lifestyles on the Taxpayer Dime

Chatfield’s Peninsula Fund, a nonprofit supposedly created to influence public policy and serve Michiganders, was instead used to:

• Pay for Chatfield’s rent in Lansing, so he could live for free near the Capitol.

• Cover his dry cleaning, haircuts, clothing, and even car washes.

• Run up tabs at high-end cocktail bars and even fund meetings at strip clubs.

• Charge 99.4% of his personal credit card expenses to the nonprofit.

And while his own family members testified that he paid them with political funds and then demanded kickbacks, Chatfield’s attorney, Mary Chartier, insists it’s all just a misunderstanding—blaming his top aides and even the law firm that managed his slush fund.