FBI indicts another Detroit lawmaker aide

The FBI has indicted a second former Detroit lawmaker's aide, accused of using public funds to enrich himself, officials said. Michael Grundy, a fired political lieutenant to Robert Ficano, was indicted Wednesday on allegations seeking kickbacks from contractors, becoming the second member of the Wayne County executive office to be indicted by the FBI, The Detroit News reported. "This is a real mess. To the public this is just another reminder of the failures of Wayne County government," said Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak, D-Dearborn. "It's a cesspool that continues to fester." Ficano fired Grundy Nov. 7 for not cooperating with the county's internal investigation into his dealings, the Detroit Free Press reported. "I am extremely angry at the betrayal demonstrated by an individual who was in a position of trust, if these allegations are true," Ficano said of Grundy in a statement. "Based on our own internal review of the situation and our cooperation with the federal investigation, this was not unexpected." The indictment against Grundy states he defrauded "the people of Wayne County and the participants of the HealthChoice insurance programs of their right to the honest, faithful and impartial services of [Grundy] ... including their right to his conscientious, loyal, faithful, disinterested and unbiased service, to be performed free of deceit, undue influence, conflict of interest, self-enrichment, self-dealing, concealment, bribery, fraud and corruption." Three weeks ago, another former top aide to Ficano, Tahir Kazmi, was charged with forcing a county vendor to give him more than $80,000 in cash and pay his other expenses, including his cellphone bill.