In a case rattling a small St. Clair County community, Kellie Lauwers, the wife of Michigan state Sen. Dan Lauwers, was charged Monday with one count of embezzlement and one count of using a computer to commit a crime tied to her role as treasurer of the Yale Area Chamber of Commerce. Prosecutors say she diverted chamber funds while overseeing the group’s accounts. The criminal charges come on the heels of a civil lawsuit the chamber filed in February after an internal financial review turned up discrepancies.
Charges and investigation
According to court records filed in Port Huron’s 72nd District Court and reported by The Detroit News, investigators identified 11 allegedly fraudulent transactions between December 2022 and July 2024. The documents say an arrest warrant was signed by Michael Frezza and that each of the two counts carries a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison. The Michigan State Police handled the criminal investigation, according to the filing.
Civil suit details
The Yale Area Chamber of Commerce’s civil complaint accuses its former treasurer of writing checks to herself and using the organization’s debit card for personal spending, including purchases at Dollar General and Audible, as laid out by Sanilac Broadcasting Company. Filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court in February, the lawsuit says the chamber first spotted the discrepancies during a November financial review and is now trying to claw back the missing money through the courts. Chamber documents further allege that names were forged to get around the group’s two-signature requirement on checks.
Legal outlook
Court paperwork reviewed by The Detroit News describes one of the disputed transactions as a $4,000 mobile deposit that carried Kellie Lauwers’ endorsement. The filing outlines steps prosecutors say were used to move money out of chamber accounts. All of this remains allegation at this stage; the charges must still be proven in court. The case is lodged in Port Huron’s 72nd District Court, with both the criminal case and the civil lawsuit moving ahead on parallel tracks.
Politics and reaction
Sen. Dan Lauwers, the Senate GOP’s minority floor leader who represents the 25th District, lists his legislative work and background on his official website. In a statement reported by Macomb Daily, Kellie Lauwers' attorney said, "The investigation is ongoing, and Mrs. Lauwers is presumed innocent," and added that the senator "remains strongly supportive" of his wife. Local officials and chamber leaders say they are working with law enforcement as both cases proceed.
Local fallout
The allegations have hit especially hard in Yale, a rural community of about 2,000 residents where the chamber helps organize local events that rely on tight budgets. Chamber board members told WGRT they have tightened bank controls, restricted who is allowed to sign on accounts, and added monthly reconciliations after uncovering the discrepancies. The civil complaint seeks roughly $96,900 in damages, according to that reporting. Organizers say the uncertainty has put summer events and festival planning on pause while the courts sort out what happened.
