Audit Blasts Marrocco On Legal Spending

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — A Former Macomb County Public Works Commissioner spent nearly $8.3 million in legal fees in his last few years in office. Anthony Marrocco, who was defeated by Candice Miller in last November’s elections, spent the money within his authority, an audit shows. But it nonetheless resulted in a 15 percent sewer-rate increase.

The audit of legal fees for the Macomb Interceptor Drain Drainage District found that millions were spent with no apparent benefit to the communities or ratepayers. But the audit, conducted by UHY Advisors, a certified public accounting firm with offices in metro Detroit, also found “no direct negligence or misconduct” and noted that "it's doubtful that there is any way to recover these legal fees,” the Detroit Free Press reported.

The drainage district is made up of cities and townships that tie into the collapsed sewer line in Fraser. Miller commissioned the audit but decined to comment about its results. The audit was released Tuesday to the Free Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.

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UHY Advisors reviewed $6.4 million in legal bills for two lawsuits — $4.5 million tied to the Detroit bankruptcy and $1.9 million dealing with the Oakland Macomb Interceptor Drain, the newspaper reported. Public Works found an additional $1.9 million spent on another case subsequent to the audit, according to an executive summary.

The audit cost the county $25,000, according to the Free Press report. Last fall, the county executive’s office found through a Freedom of Information Act request that Marrocco incurred millions of dollars in legal bills from 2013 to 2016 that were not approved or authorized by the executive’s office, county commissioners or the drainage district board, the newspaper reported.

Legal costs became a boon for Miller, a Republican, to unseat Marrocco, a Democrat. Miller vowed to conduct a forensic audit if elected. Tuesday’s report made good on that promise.

Marrocco also took heat from Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, a Miller ally, about what Hackel said was then $5.6 million in legal fees attached to bills in the 11 communities, the Free Press reported. “While no illegal activity was uncovered, many questions were raised regarding the appropriateness of incurring the legal costs or the likelihood of success,” according to the audit’s summary.

The report didn’t mince words about Marrocco’s actions.

“Unfortunately, there was no transparency to the legal bill approval process and no involvement or notice to ... communities paying the costs,” the Free Press report said, quoting the audit summary. “While Marrocco may have had the authority to bring the cases and spend the funds, some of the actions taken were ill-advised, there was no accountability and millions were spent for little to no benefit to ... communities or their ratepayers.”

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