Plea deal: Lee Chatfield aide to testify against him in Michigan corruption case

Anné Minard reaches plea deal in Michigan corruption case, agrees to testify against former House Speaker Lee Chatfield
As part of agreement, Minard pleaded guilty to two lesser counts
Minard and husband were accused of embezzling from nonprofits and PACs tied to Chatfield

LANSING — A longtime associate of former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield has agreed to testify against him and his wife as part of a plea deal in a related corruption case.

Originally charged with a dozen crimes, Anné Minard on Thursday pleaded guilty to two counts in Ingham County Circuit Court: filing a fraudulent income tax return and embezzling less than $20,000.

In exchange for her agreement to testify, prosecutors recommend Minard face a six-month suspended prison sentence, three years of probation and have to pay the state roughly $37,000 in back taxes and penalties.

Circuit Court Judge James Jamo is not obligated to follow the recommendation and is expected to sentence Minard on Dec. 3.

Her husband and co-defendant, Robert Minard, is seeking to delay his trial, which is set to begin next month.

Ahead of Thursday’s hearing, Robert Minard’s attorney, Bob Harrison, said he hadn’t discussed a plea deal with prosecutors, who he called “difficult” to work with. But after a meeting with the judge and prosecutors, Harrison said he was “talking about talking” about a plea deal for his client, too.

Anné and Rob Minard were central to Lee Chatfield’s rapid ascendancy in Michigan politics and also close confidants of the lawmaker and his wife. They worked as legislative aides to Chatfield, a Levering Republican who in 2019 became the youngest state House speaker in Michigan history at age 30.

They also helped run PACs and nonprofits at the center of corruption charges against Chatfield, whose trial was recently delayed until the fall of 2026.

Anné Minard was president of Chatfield’s nonprofit Peninsula Fund, which she pleaded guilty to embezzling from on Thursday. Lee Chatfield and his wife, Stephanie, are facing similar charges for their use of funds from the account. All had pleaded not guilty.

people in the courtroom — Rob Minard (center) and Anne Minard (back right) served as aides to former House Speaker Lee Chatfield. (Jonathan Oosting/Bridge Michigan)

Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges against the Minards in late 2023 after a nearly two-year investigation. She charged the Chatfields in April 2024.

Mary Chartier, Lee Chatfield’s attorney, said Thursday that Anné Minard’s plea agreement is “not surprising.” She suggested Nessel is “willing to make a deal with anyone to try to build a case against” Chatfield as part of what she called a “politically motivated” prosecution.

“It won’t work,” Chartier said in a statement. “Any reasonable person will be able to see through whatever claims Anné Minard tries to come up with to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.”

The Minards each charged with eight felony charges, including for allegedly “conducting a criminal enterprise,” a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and embezzling $100,000 or more.

Anné Minard separately faced two additional counts of embezzlement of less than $20,000 and two counts of false pretenses less than $20,000.

In court filings, Chatfield’s brother and sister-in-law described receiving checks from Anné Minard to give to Chatfield coinciding with trips to Detroit, Miami, Las Vegas, Aspen and the Bahamas.

In the preliminary examination for the couple, prosecutors brought in a forensic accountant who alleged the Minards had siphoned money from the accounts they controlled in five different ways. Investigators concluded the Minards stole more than $600,000 in total from the accounts, including to pay for personal expenses such as Gucci handbags and services at a plastic surgeon.

The Minards enjoyed a lucrative relationship while working under Chatfield. Robert was his chief of staff and Anné was director of external affairs.

They also profited from their political consulting firm, Victor Strategies, while collecting legislative salaries and had oversight of more than half a dozen Chatfield-linked fundraising accounts.

More than $6 million moved through Chatfield’s various accounts during his tenure in the Legislature, and Victor Strategies was paid more than $1 million from political committees during that period.

Anné Minard’s role — controlling the finances for all of Chatfield’s political affairs — could prove valuable for prosecutors as they seek to convict him of a host of corruption-related charges surrounding his alleged spending of those funds.

Nessel has argued Michigan’s weak disclosure laws enabled the alleged scheme.

If Robert Minard does go to trial, the attorney general’s office has offered a long list of potential witnesses, including former lawmakers, influential lobbyists and Chatfield family members.

Former Republican lawmakers-turned-lobbyists who served at the same time as Chatfield, Jim Lilly and Jason Sheppard, are named, as is Rebekah Warren, a Democrat who was a state senator during the same time period.

Two of Lee Chatfield’s brother are also named among the witnesses, Aaron and Paul Chatfield, as well as Rebekah Chatfield, who is Lee Chatfield’s sister-in-law and accused him of sexual assault, opening the door for the state to investigate the Chatfields and Minards for financial crimes.

Matthew Moroun, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge Company and a major Republican donor, is on the list, as is Andrew Brisbo, who led Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency at the time Robert Minard worked for Chatfield in the legislature.

Another court date has been set for Nov. 6 to determine whether Rob Minard’s trial will move forward as scheduled on Nov. 10.