Another of Lee's brothers, Paul Chatfield, 27, said he believes there was "inappropriate behavior" between his sister-in-law and older brother but questioned her account of the alleged abuse in terms of when it started and how far it escalated. Chatfield is the speaker of the Michigan House for the 2019-2020 legislative session. "Lee quickly took me in," Rebekah said, adding that her father's health began to decline and she became more involved with the Chatfield family. A resolution never came up for a vote in the House. Lee Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014. 25 1988) , ' . He intends to vigorously fight these false claims.. Greg Reid. Republican Lee Chatfield is under police investigation over claims of sexual assault. Likewise, the Little River Band didn't disclose GCSI and LaPorte as its employees. In response to the specific claims Rebekah gave to Bridge Michigan, Chartier reiterated that her client had an "affair with this woman [that] lasted for years, but they were both consenting adults over 18.". Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Berrien Springs Michigan House of Representatives Chatfield's financial activities, while he was a top lawmaker, are now under criminal investigation by Attorney General Dana . "I dont know if we ran out of time or what the real reason was," said Hauck, whose district includes the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant. Since Aaron learned about his brothers years of assault on his wife in December, he has been supportive of his wife and is confident she is telling the truth, he alleged. "I didn't want to get on the wrong side of him. Chatfield, a Republican who was speaker in 2019 and 2020 before leaving office due to term limits, . SOLD JUN 10, 2022. Chatfield's letter of support to the federal government was sent on the same day in July 2020 as one from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake. 0:05 / 0:31. On one occasion two years ago, Rebekah said she and Aaron were visiting Lees officewhen he asked Aaron to go pick up a pizza. [15][16], Chatfield's successor, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, has ordered all members to preserve records dealing with the conduct of Chatfield. When I was in my darkest place, I didnt know what else to do, and he continued to remind me that I didnt have, really, anyone else but him, she said. Strong sales / Operations professional graduated from Southern Cross University. . On July 22, 2020, the Levering Republican sent a letter to the federal government asking for approval "as soon as possible," according to a copy of the letter obtained by The News. In 2018, Orlene Hawks, wife of GCSI leader Mike Hawks, was on the arts center's board of directors. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019, and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Terry Burns, executive vice president of the auto dealers association, acknowledged to The News that the group never reported the arrangement because of a broad exemption in state regulations for transactions made in "the ordinary course of the lobbyist's business." The previous three House speakers received a combined total of $4,180 in food and drink from all Michigan lobbyists over eight years. ", "Scofes and Associates were leadingthe lobbying team, and they retained GCSI," Shields said. SOLD JUN 10, 2022. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of theML's Soul of Detroit podcast. In December 2020, GCSI Chief Executive Hawks was present in the speaker's office when then-President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, visited amid a push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two sources. But he did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship. Chatfield ran to the right of then-Rep. Frank Foster in a Republican primary in 2014 to win his seat in the Michigan House. it was never consensual, because it started when I was a minor the brainwashing, the mentality, the manipulation, the psychological, the emotional he groomed me into being who he wanted me to be.. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Ex-con sentenced to 37 to life in prison for brutal rape inside NYC sidewalk shed, Lawyer attacked by client who allegedly decapitated lover withdraws from case, Behind teen girls sky-high depression: Forced sex, social media, Woke LA DA suspends lead prosecutor of trans woman convicted of molesting 10-year-old girl. Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield was reportedly living an extravagant lifestyle in relation to his roughly $100,000 taxpayer-funded salary, thanks in part to . At some point in 2020, GCSI, which had been working for the Gun Lake tribal casino located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and Noel LaPorte, another Lansing lobbyist who has worked with GCSI on other matters, began talking to lawmakers on behalf of the Little River Band. In January 2020, Daly was one of Chatfield's guests at Whitmer's 2020 State of the State address and sat on the House floor next to Rob Minard, the speaker's chief of staff, The News reported in October. Rebekah Chatfield, now 26, is married to the former lawmaker's younger brother Aaron Chatfield, also 26. But Shields, a longtime Republican political consultant, said the Little River Band's use of GCSI and LaPorte for lobbying on the casino project "was reported and transparent. "I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life," Rebekah told Bridge Michigan. "The fundamental evil we're fighting is the lack of . State Rep. Lee Chatfield is inviting residents to join him during local office hours for the months of September and October. Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers who met with then-President Donald Trump at the . For a decade, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians sought an off-reservation casino in Muskegon County, a project that supporters argued would generate an estimated $200 million a year in revenues for the tribe. Chatfield has denied allegations he sexually . Among the other proposals Chatfield quietly championed in Lansing was one that would have directly benefited the Detroit Salt Company, which owns the Detroit Salt Mine and has been represented by GCSI since 2009. State Representative Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) said the House can't punish Chatfield. "My dad was a recovering alcoholic, and so I believe that Lee used those [circumstances] against me and helped take advantage of me. "When GCSI became available, they approached the tribe, and tribal leadership decided to add additionalhelp to the lobbying efforts," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Little River Band. Mark N. Clement. Chatfield took office in 2015. 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[11][12], The sexual abuse is alleged to have begun when the girl was attending Chatfield's church, Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church, and continued while she was a student at the school associated with the church, where Chatfield taught physical education. She said he had affairs and was in a sexual relationship with the victim, but they were both adults when the affair took place. After three two-year terms, Chatfield's career as a state representative ended on Dec. 31, 2020. Mr. Rebekah told Bridge Michigan she felt she had no way out from the relationship. How much does a Financial Advisor make in Chatfield, Minnesota? TruGreen Neighborhood Lawn Sales Representative. And based on what we've seen so far, Lansing looks mighty murky. Gretchen Whitmer on Saturday questioning why the legislature was not warned about the plot to take . Rebekah Chatfield, who is married to the politicians younger brother, claims the former speaker assaulted her more times than I can count beginning when she was 15 years old more than a decade ago. I couldn't see what would happen past then. Owen has not responded to requests for comment about the Attorney General's affidavit. Gretchen Whitmer named to lead Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), which is one of the state's largest and most far-reaching government agencies. She had reportedly been dating Lees younger brother, Aaron Chatfield. Opinion: I'm a Michigan lawmaker. The sister-in-law of a former, high-ranking Republican leader in Michigan accused the lawmaker of sexually assaulting her for years when she was an underaged teen, officials said Monday.. Lee Chatfield, 33, who served as speaker of the state House of Representatives in 2019 and 2020, denies any criminal wrongdoing and instead admits to extramarital but consensual sex with the accuser . In 2019, like politicians before him who aspired to be speaker, Wentworth set up a second PAC. [19], Following the backlash from his hiring, Southwest Michigan First and Chatfield stated that they would support expanding the state's civil rights act (the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act) to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a stance that the Southwest Michigan First board had voted in 2017 to support. I always had questions, he told Bridge. Hawks and his wife, Orlene Hawks, the director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, hosted Chatfield on at least two occasions at their summer home in the upscale resort community of Bay Harbor, according to a source familiar with the Chatfield-Hawks relationship who was not authorized to speak because of an ongoing criminal investigation. "He destroyed me, and has controlled my life since I was 15-16, the past 10-11 years," Rebekah Chatfield told Bridge Michigan in a series of interviews, published Friday, about the allegations against her brother-in-law. 03 9328 . A Gary Owen is listed as a director of the entity, according to state business records. Phone and text messages seeking comment were left by the AP Thursday night for Chatfield, 33, who left the House in 2020 due to term limits. "So I believe we are in good shape in both chambers moving into next session.". [3] The district was created in 1965, when the . Soon after GCSI got involved, Chatfield joined the campaign for the project. We are looking forward to building on our very successful 2022 campaign where our Opens and U14 A Team won there respective tournaments. View Samantha Chatfield's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. With trouble at home, she became more dependent on the Chatfield family, who ran that whole church and school that had become essential to her social life, she said. Here's why. Rankey's LinkedIn profile says she is a former self-employed fundraising consultant who got a state job as Wentworth's director of legislative affairs before becoming his director of external affairs. Getting to the bottom of Chatfield's relationship with GCSI has the potential to get messy. Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, who supported the casino project near his district, said there was a "sense of urgency" among lobbyists working for the Little River Band to get something done by the end of 2020 because they felt Chatfield was in support and he was departing the Legislature by the end of that year. Chatfield was term limited from office in 2020. Former Michigan state Rep. Lee Chatfield's sister-in-law who accused him of sexually assaulting her for years, according to a recent criminal complaint being investigated by Michigan State Police has come forward to share details of what he allegedly did to her. | Learn more about Sean Chatfield's work experience, education . Theyre looking forward to working with law enforcement to bring this allegation to conclusion and (bring) accountability for others that have been harmed.. The News' wide-ranging investigation revealed GCSI lobbyists wined and dined Chatfield like no other House speaker in the past decade, picking up the tab for thousands of dollars in free food, drink and travel that was nearly six times what the firm disclosed spending on Chatfield's three immediate predecessors combined. According to Crain's Detroit Business, Chatfield confirmed he would be moving to Kalamazoo.The former representative from Levering, who was term-limited after six years in the state House, is no friend to the LGBTQ community. Various groups including the City of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Promise, pulled support from Southwest Michigan First. Hauck said he urged the speaker not to go forward with the resolution. [3] Chatfield, along with Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, met with Trump on November 20, 2020, as Trump and his campaign attempted to overturn the results of the presidential election, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden (both nationally and in Michigan). Foster supported expanding civil rights protections in Michigan to . LANSING State Rep. Jason Wentworth of Clare will be the new speaker of the House, Republican lawmakers announced Thursday. She did what shes supposed to do. Along the way, investigators will likely uncover evidence that may embarrass and expose benefactors and members of both political parties. Photos of Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, state Rep. Jim Lilly and other Republicans surfaced on social media, where the men were lashed for their extravagant indulgence and extraordinary callous indifference as their constituents struggle with health and financial hardships. Lee Roberson Chatfield (born May 25, 1988) is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. In a September 2017 email to the leaders of another tribe, before LaPorte began working with the Little River Band, LaPorte touted his connection with Chatfield, who in his third year in office was in line to be elevated to speaker in 2019. The woman who accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield of multiple sexual assaults since she was a teenager was revealed to be his own sister-in-law. Chatfield says according to press reports he had an "affair" with his brother's wife but it began when she was an adult and denies the rape allegation. Rep. Chatfield sets local fall office hours. In addition, according to the affidavit, Aaron Chatfield "acquired Adderall for the lobbyist Noel LaPorte one time." Despite helping him climb to the top, it appears the heat of the spotlight trained on the Minards got too hot for Wentworth. Her and her family, theyre working through it. Chatfield's actions as speaker are the subject of an ongoing probe into an alleged "criminal enterprise." Explosive allegations about excessive political spending were revealed this week in the ongoing investigation into former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield. Minard and her husband, Rob, have been in the news since January, when their roles as key aides to Chatfield emerged in the wake of accusations that Chatfield had sexually assaulted his sister-in-law. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. Become a subscriber. Chatfield won the primary and the general election . Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Wakefield chairman John Minards confident in clubs hybrid Belle Vue pitch, SC House Freedom Caucus takes colleagues to federal court on free speech grounds, Michigan coronavirus cases: Tracking the pandemic. Lee pressured her into unwanted sex in a separate room before his brother returned, she alleged. The accuser, now 26, filed a criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department, which referred it to state police earlier this week. When the time came to raise big bucks in 2017, Anne Minard signed on as treasurer of the Wentworth Majority Fund Political Action Committee. Aaron quit school earlier to support his brothers political career. Her mental health reached a breaking point in December, when she finally shared her trauma with them and subsequently filed the police report, according to Bridge. "Theres enough there," Thomas said. "My whole world was the Chatfield family," said Rebekah, who also attended the school-affiliated Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church where Rusty Chatfield, her father-in-law, is a pastor. By May 12, the Wentworth Majority Fund PAC and Wentworth Majority Fund 2 had replaced Anne Minard as treasurer with Kellie Rankey. Questions about Soave's relationship with local officials circulated for years. 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