GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A fourth person pleaded guilty Friday in an investigation of bribery at the now-defunct Michigan marijuana licensing board.
A lobbyist, Brian Pierce, said he conspired to give $42,000 and other benefits to Rick Johnson to help clients with marijuana license applications before the board was disbanded in 2019.
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Johnson pleaded guilty in April, admitting that he accepted at least $110,000 in exchange for approving applications. A businessman and another lobbyist have also pleaded guilty in the FBI investigation.
Johnson, a former Republican state lawmaker, served as speaker of the House from 2001 through 2004.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer abolished the medical marijuana board a few months after taking office in 2019 and put oversight inside a state agency.
Michigan voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2008. Voters approved the recreational use of marijuana in 2018.