Ex-Wayne County Employee Steals $60K From Judge: Officials

WAYNE COUNTY, MI — A former Wayne County Circuit Court clerk from Detroit is facing charges after stealing more than $60,000 from a judge, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Steven Allen, 42, was charged with four felony counts, including embezzlement, forging bank bills or promissory notes, stealing or holding a financial transaction device without consent and using a computer to commit a crime.

Allen's next court date is scheduled for Jan. 29. He faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted on the embezzlement charge.

Officials said Allen used an illegally acquired ATM card associated with the judge's accounts to make withdrawals and purchases from 2018 through 2022. He also forged checks to the judge to hide the theft, according to the attorney's general office.

The judge noticed the missing funds after receiving a notice for delinquent taxes on a secondary property, despite Allen had given them checks that appeared to satisfy the tax, according to the attorney's general office.

"Everyone should exercise extreme caution in who you permit to access your financial accounts," said Nessel. "Even judges are not immune to theft, embezzlement and fraud perpetrated against them by those they trust the most. Truly anyone can fall victim to financial exploitation crimes."