Former Macomb public works boss Marrocco pleads guilty in corruption probe
PORT HURON − Former Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted extortion in federal court in a yearslong corruption probe that netted the onetime political powerhouse and more than 20 other people.
Marrocco, 74, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland in Port Huron.
Attorneys agreed to a cap of 16 months in prison. If Cleland exceeds 16 months at the time of sentencing, Marrocco has the right to withdraw his guilty plea.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 26, but may be rescheduled. Cleland said the case may be disposed of before the end of the year.
How prosecutors say Marrocco's scheme worked
Marrocco was indicted in 2020 and was thought to be a key figure in the corruption probe that brought down ex-garbage tycoon Chuck Rizzo and towing titan Gasper Fiore as well as several local politicians.
Among those were former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds, who in 2019 was sentenced to 17 years in prison at a federal court hearing in Port Huron. Reynolds took a chance on a jury trial and was convicted in 2018 of 14 bribery charges in the widespread probe.
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Marrocco, whose alleged extortion scheme ran from 1993 through 2016, was charged with two counts of extortion and one count each of attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion. Prosecutors alleged he used an aide and others to shake down builders and contractors for donations to his fundraisers. If they didn't cough up the money, the indictment said, Marrocco retaliated by holding up building permits, denying payment to vendors and refusing to award contracts to firms.
The charge to which he pleaded guilty carries up to 20 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
If the court accepts the plea agreement and imposes a sentence consistent with its terms, federal prosecutors will dismiss the other charges.
No tickets, no permits
As public works commissioner, Marrocco held political fundraisers, including an annual dinner, where proceeds would go to his campaign or political action committee accounts.
In April 2016, he sought to pressure a developer to purchase tickets to his fundraiser by indicating the developer’s permit applications to the county public works department would be delayed or denied. The developer was not identified by name, but the plea agreement states the developer was the owner or part-owner of multiple companies that performed work in Macomb County and elsewhere.
“To accomplish this, Marrocco communicated to a person doing business with Developer A to tell him that Developer A must purchase separate tickets for Marrocco’s fundraiser dinner (commensurate with Developer A’s different companies) or Developer A’s permits would not be approved," according to the plea agreement.
Marrocco, donning a dark suit, sat during Tuesday's hearing because he would not be able to stand for the length of the plea. He also told Cleland he had hearing aids in both ears. He politely answered Cleland’s questions, answering “yes, your honor” and “yes, sir” during the approximately 30-minute hearing.
When Cleland asked him whether he was guilty of the crime he intended to admit to, Marrocco said, “Yes, I am.”
Marrocco’s attorney, Steve Fishman, told Cleland “the parties have agreed there’s no restitution in this case.”
'Very fair disposition'
“They made a very fair offer, and we accepted it,” Fishman said outside the courthouse after the hearing.
Fishman said the attorneys have been talking for the last couple months to reach a resolution.
“This case was a triable case for both sides, but we arrived at a very fair disposition,” he said. The plea came less than a month before a jury trial was scheduled.
Fishman said he and Marrocco are satisfied and Cleland is a “very fair judge and that he’ll give full consideration to everything that is presented to him and then the sentence will be up to him.”
“The important thing for everyone to recognize is what Tony Marrocco pled guilty to — and the only thing he pled guilty too, everything else was dismissed — what he pled guilty to was pressuring a developer to buy tables at a fundraiser. The developer never bought the tables. But it’s an attempted extortion. That’s it.”
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'Final and most significant development' in corruption probe
"The conviction of Marrocco for extortion sends a clear signal that public officials cannot use their governmental power to coerce individuals to contribute to their political campaigns," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a release. "This conviction symbolizes our years-long crackdown on corruption in Macomb County that has helped to further the rule of law and good government for the county's citizens."
The release said the developer was pressured to spend "thousands of dollars" to purchase tickets to one of Marrocco's fundraisers.
Marrocco's conviction, it states, is "the final and most significant development in federal law enforcement's years-long effort to aggressively investigate and prosecute corruption in suburban Detroit, and Macomb County in particular." It said "thus far in this effort," some 23 public officials and "bribe-paying businessmen" have been charged and convicted in connection with the probe.
One of those public officials was former Macomb Township Trustee Dino Bucci, who was Marrocco's right-hand man in the public works office. He died in March, five months before he was to be sentenced for his role in the probe. The government prepared for Bucci's death, former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said, noting a deposition of Bucci was previously taken for the Marrocco case.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Macomb ex-public works boss Marrocco pleads guilty in corruption probe
