Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens pleads no contest in COVID-19 relief funds fraud case

Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens is paying $10,000 in restitution in a no contest plea as part of a case in which she was accused of misusing COVID-19 relief money.

Owens, 39, who has faced controversy and is being sued by residents in a separate matter, entered the plea during a pretrial conference Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court.

She was charged with false pretenses from $1,000 to less than $20,000, a five-year felony, but the county Prosecutor's Office said in a release that she pleaded no contest to making a false statement, a one-year misdemeanor. It stated she is to be sentenced Oct. 10.

Restitution will be paid to the county, according to court records, as she was accused of falsely stating that her business, Naturally Funny Talent Agency, was 51% owned by a veteran and had more than 100 employees, on a CARES Act grant application through the county in the fall of 2020.

She received $10,000 from money the county received from the federal aid package. She planned to use money from the Sustainability Program Grant to rebuild her business and find "new innovative ideas to get my employees back to work by investing in new products and services," according to her grant application.

But according to a warrant authorization request from the county Sheriff’s Office, Owens "has never served at any capacity in any of the armed forces, and according to state unemployment records has zero employees other than herself. (Owens) was able to obtain a total of $10,000 based on the falsely indicated representations on the application."

"When a public figure acknowledges their guilt, takes responsibility for their actions, and pays full restitution, it sends a powerful message that no one is above the law," Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a news release.

His office said its policy requires defendants to pay restitution in advance of a plea to ensure that the victim is made financially whole, and that Owens was held responsible for her actions and required to pay full restitution before the plea.

Owens did not make it out of the August mayoral primary and will not move on to the November general election. Eastpointe voters will choose between Michael Klinefelt and Mary Hall-Rayford, the top two vote-getters in the primary.

Owens made history as the city’s first Black mayor when she was elected in 2019. She also was the city’s first Black councilwoman two years earlier.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens pleads no contest in fraud case