Articles Posted in Embezzlement

Original Case Details

In the fallout from the Eric Smith scandal, another member of the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office is facing criminal charges. This time it is Derek Miller, who is the suspended chief of operations for the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. Miller’s ex-boss was former Macomb County Head Prosecutor Eric Smith. Smith is accused of using money from a civil forfeiture fund for personal benefit to the tune of approximately $600,000 over the course of six years from 2012-2018. Smith is currently charged with a litany of embezzlement and public corruption charges. More information about his case can be found here. Derek Miller has served as a state representative and Macomb County Treasurer along with his time in the Prosecutors office. He is fourth person to be criminally charged in connection with the misuse of forfeiture funds.

Criminal Charges Involved

On Wednesday November 4 it was announced by U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. that 40-year-old Yashica Toshian Tucker of Grand Rapids had been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after filing a false tax return with the IRS (U.S. Government). Special Agent in Charge Jarod J. Koopman of the IRS – Criminal Investigation joined in the announcement.

Close up of a hand signing a check. Please note that the signature is fictitious.

Tucker pleaded guilty in August to one of 10 counts against her involving the filing of fraudulent tax returns on behalf of others. This activity occurred beginning in January of 2011 and continued until February of 2013, according to news reports. The total of the false tax returns filed with the IRS was $71,606 according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. Tucker was charged in April of this year.

Recently, Mary Leona Gillison, a 50-year-old Arcadia resident, was arrested for allegedly having embezzled more than $50,000 from the Traverse City Area Public School district. Gillison had been employed as an administrative assistant for the district, according to a news article at MI Headlines.

Gillison was arrested on December 18 after the school district performed a forensic audit, working in unison with Sheriff’s detectives. Detectives had obtained a warrant to arrest Gillison on charges of embezzling following the audit, which took several months to complete. An auditing firm for the school district reviewed procedures involving cash handling and purchase card use after Gillison resigned her position at West Middle School unexpectedly in March of this year.

Officials believe that Gillison used a district purchasing card to make “questionable” purchases, one of which was a personal item bought using the card by Gillison in December of last year. It appears that she resigned her position as administrative assistant once she suspected authorities were “on” to her scheme, although until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, she is innocent.

On October 6, it was announced by U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles that Mohamad Abduljaber, husband of Dr. Shannon Wiggins of Okemos, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being convicted in a healthcare fraud scheme in which Abduljaber and his wife received healthcare kickback payments. Abduljaber also signed a false tax return, according to the press release.

In sentencing Abduljaber to prison, U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell also ordered him to forfeit $550,000 and to pay more than $285,000 in restitution to the IRS and Medicaid.

Between January of 2004 and April of 2011, Abduljaber and Dr. Shannon Wiggins, his wife, conspired to receive kickbacks for referring patients for electrodiagnostic testing. According to the press release, Abduljaber worked at Dr. Wiggins’ medical practice in the position of office manager. He admittedly signed a fraudulent tax return in which he claimed income for the billing of medical marijuana certifications, however the amount of cash income disclosed on the return was inaccurate.