Ex-Oakland Co. School Board President Sentenced For Accepting Bribes

MADISON HEIGHTS, MI — A former Madison District Public Schools board president was sentenced to prison for accepting bribes from a local contractor, according to federal officials.

Albert Morrison, 62, was sentenced to 45 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and tax evasion. He served as school board president from 2012 and 2018, officials said.

Officials said Morrison's company, Comfort Consulting, received over $550,000 in checks from Troy businessman John David between 2014 and 2018, in what David described as a "pay to play" in the district.

Morrison then awarded David's company with contracts for maintenance and construction projects at schools within the district, totaling more than $3.1 million, officials said.

David paid Morrison at least $561,667, which Morrison spent on personal luxuries, including Florida vacations and a boat slip, officials said.

To hide the payments from the school board and the community, Morrison denied any financial ties to David or Emergency Restoration when he was confronted during a public school board meeting, officials said.

He also did not file a federal income tax return from 2014 to 2018 and avoided paying $118,000.

John David, 65, owner of Emergency Restoration, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. In August, he was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

"Today's sentence underscores our continued insistence that our trusted public officials hold themselves to the highest standards of integrity and honesty," said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison in a written statement. "This sentence ensures that school officials will put the interests of our children first and that those who accept bribes and evade paying taxes will answer for their crimes."