Oakland County Man, Ex-MI Employee Guilty For Misusing State Vehicles

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — A Farmington Hills man and former state worker was found guilty last Thursday for stealing nearly $50,000 over the course of several years, the Michigan Attorney General's Office said.

Rufus Chappell, 64, was found guilty on one count of embezzlement - $20,000 to $50,000, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for May 17 before Judge Mariam Bazzi in the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court.

Officials said Chappell misused state vehicles for personal use over weekends, holidays and outside business hours, racking up unauthorized vehicle usage and mileage fees totaling $47,214.85 between August 2015 and January 2019, according to the attorney's general office.

"He had access to and permission to use the state motor pool vehicles, explicitly for work purposes, by virtue of his employment as an unemployment examiner with the Talent Investment Agency under the Department of Talent and Economic Development, now known as the Unemployment Insurance Agency and Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, respectively," the attorney's general office said in a statement.

Officials expected Chappell to use state vehicles to only attend unemployment insurance benefit appeal hearings, according to the attorney's general office.

The Vehicle and Travel Services and the Department of Talent and Economic Development began investigating Chappell's vehicle use and uncovered misuse after Chappell's license was suspended, according to the attorney's general office.

"This verdict sends a clear message that stealing from the State, and thereby the taxpayers, will not be tolerated," Nessel said. "My office will continue to investigate and prosecute misuses of state resources to ensure all public servants are held accountable for the responsible use of taxpayer-funded resources."