Gretchen Whitmer ally hit with 16 criminal charges for misuse of $20 MILLION 'business accelerator' grant Whitmer approved

An ally of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been hit with 16 criminal charges in relation to how she spent a $20 million taxpayer-funded grant approved by Whitmer that was meant to establish a business accelerator.

Fay Beydoun, a Detroit businesswoman, has close ties to Whitmer. Per The Detroit News, she personally donated $7,150 to Whitmer’s campaign in 2019, and served as a bundler on Whitmer’s gubernatorial campaign. She was also a Whitmer appointee on the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC) executive committee between 2019 and 2024, which administers and audits "Michigan enhancement grants."

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Wednesday that Beydoun has one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, seven counts of Uttering and Publishing, one count of Forgery, one count of Larceny by Conversion over $20,000, and six counts of Larceny by Conversion, $1,000 to $20,000. The first count alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Attorney General Nessel said in a statement, "Today, we allege Fay Beydoun sought and received a $20 million ‘Michigan enhancement grant’ from the state Legislature, operated a criminal enterprise to use those funds for personal expenses and her own enrichment, and lied repeatedly when reporting how she used those funds. The process by which this ‘grant’ was proposed, developed, awarded, and administered bears practically zero semblance to the traditional grant process, and was only made possible through a system that pairs political cronyism with minimal oversight."

An affidavit noted "'Michigan enhancement grants' are not 'grants’ in any traditional sense," but instead are appropriations in the budget for specific identified recipients, and are not open to just any qualified person under an application process. The filing said that to avoid accusations of "crony capitalism," the Legislature "uses supposedly 'general' language to describe the recipient in terms that only the recipient can meet."

The appropriation at the center of the case stated that $20 million would be awarded to an "international business accelerator to support "the growth of the Michigan economy by attracting top international entrepreneurs to establish their companies in Michigan with a focus on next-generation medical services and equipment; agriculture; engineering, design, and developments; and other technology-focused industries."

Beydoun created "Global Link International" four days after the Legislature passed the appropriation, in which the $20 million was granted to her business for the 2023 fiscal year. Instead of using the funds for the stated purpose, she is accused of using the funds for expenses such as handmade rugs from Tunisia, catering costs for personal dinners, furniture, and personal legal bills, and then forging expense receipts.