A former Wayne County Roads Division employee has been slapped with a 1½ year prison sentence for his part in a million-dollar scheme that robbed the county and its taxpayers. John Gibson, 55, of Detroit, masterminded a fraud involving unauthorized purchases of generators and power equipment, federal prosecutors said when announcing the sentencing.
The scam, which fleeced over $2.3 million from Wayne County, also involved former county employee Kevin Gunn, who was previously sentenced to 32 months behind bars. The duo made off with a hefty profit by selling ill-gotten goods, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Gibson, a long-time county servant with no prior record, was "disheartened with the amount of time he received," his attorney Cyril Hall said, stressing the personal pain and the hit to Gibson's pension that incarceration will bring, according to an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
Beginning the investigation in 2021, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, with FBI assistance, turned up evidence of the long-running scheme where Gibson and Gunn manipulated vendor contracts, unduly acquired equipment, and sold it on for personal gain. A pivotal search warrant blew the lid off the operation, exposing the sophisticated embezzlement system. According to court documents, the fraudulent purchases occurred between January 2019 and August 2021. In total, they involved 596 unauthorized generators and other power equipment such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, and backpack blowers not permitted under the vendor contracts.
U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said the sentence should serve as "a deterrent to prevent any future employees from stealing from Wayne County," as quoted in the Detroit Free Press. Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI remarked the case was a "betrayal" of government trust, expressing thanks to county investigators for their role. Meanwhile, County Prosecutor Kym Worthy promised "life changing criminal consequences" for any county employee tempted to follow suit."
