Troy Engineer Charged in Macomb County Investigation

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — An eighth person has been charged in the federal government’s wide-ranging corruption investigation of Macomb County. Paul Modi, 48, an engineering contractor from Troy, was charged Tuesday with conspiracy to bribe a public official of Washington Township in connection with public contracts, according to Acting United States Attorney Daniel Lemisch.

An investigation revealed that in May of 2014, Modi paid a $1,000 cash bribe to a Washington Township official with respect to Modi’s contract, Lemisch said in a news release. Lodi also allegedly helped facilitate a $2,000 cash bribe by another contractor between June and October of 2014, the release states.

The Washington Township officials receiving the bribes was not announced. Lemisch said the charged would have never come about without the help of a second Washington Township official.

“The United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI wish to acknowledge the extraordinary assistance of Washington Township Supervisor Daniel O’Leary, who brought the criminal conduct to the attention of federal law enforcement and has been a valuable asset to the investigation since its inception,” Lemisch said in the news release.

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The charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Modi was an engineer with the firm Giffels Webster, a municipal engineering firm for Washington Township for about seven years, the Detroit Free Press reported. Federal officials charged Modi on “criminal information,” which means he is cooperating with authorities and is likely to cut a plea deal.

The investigation has been red-hot as of late. Last week, attorney Angelo Selva was charged with concealing a bribery conspiracy involving Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds. Selva is also likely to cut a plea deal.

Quintin Ramanauskas, a former commercial manager who for years worked at Rizzo Environmental Services, was charged on May 18 with delivering cash bribes to two local officials, including Reynolds and former Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock, the Free Press reported.

Photo by Daniel Lobo via Flickr Commons