“…on one occasion, [Aaron Chatfield] was given a $5,000 check by [Anne] Minard with instructions to provide Lee Chatfield with $3,500 for a trip to the Bahamas.” – The Detroit News
The fallout of disgraced former State House Speaker Lee Chatfield continues, raising new scrutiny for both Tudor Dixon and her running mate Shane Hernandez. According to a new explosive Detroit News report, the Republican ex-legislator is now under investigation for allegedly orchestrating a “criminal enterprise” that showcased every flavor of corruption, including “embezzlement, bribery, campaign finance violations and controlled substances.”
By all accounts, Chatfield’s web of scandal was too extensive to manage alone. Engineering his criminal infrastructure was Anne Minard, a consultant of Chatfield’s who “provide[d] cash to the Republican legislator” to fund lavish trips and cover “prostitutes and controlled substances.” Chatfield’s brother Aaron cited one instance in which Minard handed him a $5,000 check for the purpose of cashing it for a trip to The Bahamas.
Earlier this year, Minard’s home was raided in relation to the former speaker funneling the lion’s share of “at least $900,000 in campaign and nonprofit funds” and an additional $151,568 to her consulting firm, Victor Strategies. Despite this highly publicized incident which “demonstrated probable cause a crime was committed,” Tudor Dixon’s gubernatorial campaign wired over $12,000 to Minard’s firm just a few months later for “consulting” services.
Separately, Shane Hernandez not only overlapped with Chatfield in the state legislature, the two Republican members maintained a chummy relationship that Hernandez politically benefitted from. In 2018, Chatfield exercised his speaker privileges to appoint Hernandez as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. And over the course of his brief legislative campaign and tenure, Hernandez received $8,500 from the Chatfield Majority Fund.
Hernandez’s proximity to Chatfield, and Dixon’s employment of his chief crony raises the following questions both candidates owe Michiganders immediate answers to.
- What is your relationship with Anne Minard?
- Why did you retain services of Victor Strategies after their home was raided in connection with Chatfield’s crimes?
- What services were provided in connection with the $12,000 expenditure your campaign made to Victor Strategies?
- For Shane Hernandez: Did you attend any lavish parties hosted by Lee Chatfield and did you take part in any illegal activities while you were there?
- For Shane Hernandez: What did you know about Chatfield’s illegal misuse of fundraising dollars, and when did you know it?
