Attorney General Bill Schuette is scheduled to announce criminal charges Thursday arising out of the investigation of allegedly fraudulent petitions submitted in the failed attempt to qualify former U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter for the ballot. Multiple defendants will face both felony and misdemeanor charges in the case, according to a person familiar with the 11 a.m. announcement. It remained unclear whether McCotter himself was a target in the probe.
State elections officials said petition signatures submitted by McCotter’s campaign were riddled with duplications and other irregularities, leaving him far short of the number of valid signatures needed to appear on the ballot. McCotter, who subsequently resigned the seat, said he would cooperate fully with the investigation.