Metro Detroit Mayor Fraudulently Applied for COVID-19 Relief: Police

EASTPOINTE, MI — A metro Detroit mayor is facing a fraud charge in connection to the 2020 COVID relief program.

Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens was charged with false pretenses of $1,000.00 or more but less than $20,000, which is a five-year felony, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.

Owens received a $10,000 personal bond. Her next court date is April 11.

Prosecutors said Owens submitted a fraudulent application for a grant under the "CARES ACT," which was a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was awarded $10,000 from the Macomb County grant, the prosecutor's office said.

"I will not shy away from public corruption cases," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. "This is not the first time my office has authorized charges involving a public servant during my two years as a county prosecutor. I ran for office to clean up public corruption."

Patch reached out to the Eastpointe mayor’s office for comment and will update this story if we hear back.

Owens' attorney, Scott Weinberg, told Fox 2 Detroit there's no proof that Owens did anything wrong and they'll see the process through in court.

In 2019, Owens became the city's youngest and first Black mayor.