Employee accused using ATM linked to Michigan judge’s accounts for unauthorized withdrawals
Steven Allen, a former judicial assistant from Detroit, has pled guilty to embezzling over $60,000 from his employer, a sitting Circuit Court judge in Wayne County, Michigan, U.S.
The plea, announced by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, came after a series of legal proceedings that began earlier this year.
“Embezzlement is a serious crime with devastating financial consequences that shatters trust when committed by someone close to the victim,” said Dana Nessel, Michigan attorney general, in a news release. “My department will continue to prosecute individuals who exploit their positions for personal gain.”
Allen, 43 years old, worked as a judicial assistant in the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County from 2018–22, the department said in the news release. The allegations against him stated that, during his employment, he illegally obtained an ATM card linked to the judge’s accounts and wrongfully made unauthorized withdrawals and purchases.
Allen also allegedly forged checks and presented them to conceal his theft, said a February news release from the department The alleged scheme was uncovered when the judge was notified of delinquent taxes on a secondary property, despite Allen presenting checks that appeared to cover these tax payments, the department said.
According to the department, Allen was charged with four felonies: embezzlement of $50,000–$100,000 (a 15-year felony), using a computer to commit a crime (a 10-year felony), forgery of bank bills or promissory notes (a seven-year felony), and stealing or retaining without consent a financial transaction device (a four-year felony).
In January, Allen was arraigned in the 36th District Court in Wayne County, said a news release by the department that month. After waiving his preliminary examination in February, he was bound over for trial in the Third Circuit Court on the four felony charges, the department said.
On Aug. 20, Allen pled guilty to two of the four charges: one count of embezzlement of $50,000 or more but less than $100,000, as well as one count of stealing or retaining without consent a financial transaction device, the department reported. As part of his plea agreement, he will have to pay $64,651.74 in restitution and serve three years of probation, the department said.
Allen’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4 before Judge Anne McCarthy in the Third Circuit Court, according to the department.
