Michigan attorney general charges two in alleged 'dark money scheme' connected to former GOP leader
Mike Shirkey accused of violating Michigan campaign finance law
Michigan Senate GOP leader Mike Shirkey is accused of violating campaign finance law by funneling money for the UnLock Michigan ballot proposal into other organizations. The allegations have been referred to state Attorney General Dana Nessel.
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Two individuals connected to an alleged "dark money scheme" that supplied the majority of funding to a Michigan ballot initiative have been charged with campaign finance-related crimes, the state attorney general announced Wednesday.
One of those charged, Heather Lombardini, is accused of coordinating with former Michigan Senate Leader Mike Shirkey who served as the top Republican in the chamber from 2019-2023.
Lombardini, 47, worked as the treasurer for Michigan! My Michigan! and president of Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, two nonprofits that contributed over $2.4 million to the Unlock Michigan ballot campaign. The proposal sought to limit the issuance of emergency orders following discontent over Michigan's pandemic policies in 2020 and 2021.
A complaint that was originally filed with the Michigan Department of State in May of 2021. It alleged both Shirkey and Lombardini had coordinated funding the campaign. It was referred to Nessel's office on June 3, 2022.
An investigation by the attorney general uncovered "extensive coordination" between the campaign and the two nonprofits. Both Shirkey and Lombardini solicited and received contributions for the campaign before Lombardini failed to file a campaign finance statement that would have disclosed the identity of the donors - a violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.
She's been charged with a 14-year felony and two misdemeanors.
Also charged was Sandy Baxter, 63, of Caledonia, who was involved in systematic fundraising for Unlock Michigan through MMM. Baxter is accused of lying under oath while giving testimony during the investigation.
Baxter was charged with perjury.
While Shirkey was intimately involved in the scheme, because he was not legally connected to either nonprofit, he did not violate the law. His involvement became public in June 2022.
"Political staff and consultants are what keeps Michigan’s campaign fundraising machine moving, regardless of who is in office. They often have the expertise in Michigan’s campaign finance laws and connections to big-moneyed donors that allow this type of fundraising to continue through endless election cycles and candidates. Without these hired guns, these dark money operations would never exist," said Nessel.
She added the case was another example of why current campaign finance laws lack enough teeth that could prevent abuses like the one being prosecuted.
Both Lombardini and Baxter have yet to be arraigned.