GOP Michigan County Commissioner Re-elected— and Headed to Federal Prison
Voters in Michigan’s Monroe County returned Mark Brant to the County Commission on November 5, 2024—most not knowing that he was due to report to federal prison. Brant, 68, was sentenced to an 18-month term in federal court for the Northern District of Ohio on September 11, 2024, for leasing land that was used to grow marijuana sold illegally in Ohio.
Brant neglected to mention his indictment until just before fellow commissioners accepted his resignation on October 1, 2024. By that time, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot and too late for any other candidate’s name to be added. He faced no Democratic opposition in the GOP-dominated district and won re-election with 90% of the vote. He said when resigning, “I don’t want my personal circumstance to interfere with the smooth operation of the county I so dearly love.” But after winning re-election, he hurried to be sworn in for his fourth term before reporting to prison.
In addition to his prison term, Brant was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay over $800,000—a $500,000 fine, a $1,000 special assessment plus forfeiture of more than $300,000 found by federal agents who searched his home. He was scheduled to report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown, West Virginia, on November 29, 2024. See: United States v. Brant, USDC (N.D. Ohio), Case No. 1:22-cr-00701.
It was Brant’s second conviction; he served two years on probation after he was found guilty in 1984 of selling misbranded drugs as “over-the-counter diet pills.” His fellow commissioners blasted County Administrator Michael Bosanac and his deputy, Aundrea Armstrong, for failing to inform them when they wrote supportive letters that Brant’s lawyer forwarded to his judge on June 4, 2024. Both administrators claimed ignorance that the letters were solicited in a bid for sentencing leniency. “Knowing what I know now,” Armstrong said, “I would have probably asked questions regarding what the letter was being used for.”
But it was elected leaders who drew residents’ criticism for keeping quiet so long about Brant’s legal travails. Said one of their targets, state Sen. Joe Bellino, Jr. (R-Monroe), who sent a supportive letter on official Senate stationery, “Now that it’s drummed up 74 bee’s nests, I’d probably use different stationery.”
Meanwhile, the county charter contains no requirement for commissioners to attend meetings in person. State law prevents felons from holding office only if their conviction was related to their service. Brant said there is no way to prevent him from collecting the $15,000 annual salary for his commission seat, so he plans to serve constituents from his prison cell—at least those willing to accept a collect call. He also shrugged off any moral implications of holding office as a convicted felon.
“Well, I voted for Trump,” he said.
Additional source: USA Today
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