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| Leroy Burcroff |
Federal prosecutors alleged that Burcroff, 58, defrauded campaign donors who believed the money would be spent on a re-election effort. Burcroff was elected as mayor in 2013 and reelected in 2017 after serving several terms on the Romulus City Council. He opted not to seek reelection in 2021 as allegations of misappropriation of campaign funds were reported by the media.
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges in July, alleging that Burcroff spent the money on personal and family expenses. Burcroff's attorney Walter Piszczatowski continued to defend the former mayor noting that he had repaid the campaign fund.
“LeRoy decided not to run for reelection in 2021 and the campaign fund has been fully reimbursed,” Piszczatowski said. “If you talk to people that know and have worked with LeRoy, rather than talking to his political enemies, they will all tell you LeRoy always gave 100 percent of his best efforts to his hometown, the city of Romulus - and even gave money back out of his payroll check to the city when it was experiencing tough financial times.”
Prosecutors, however, claimed Burcroff used the campaign funds to pay for his daughter's wedding, a Florida vacation, flowers, $4,500 in liquor charges and dues and expenses at the Belleville Yacht Club. Burcroff was also accused of wiring a payment in excess of $2,400 to the Belleville Yacht Club in November 2017 from the “Committee to Elect LeRoy D. Burcroff” checking account.
Residents “deserve to be served by public officials of the highest integrity,” Detroit U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a statement. “Those who abuse positions of trust by misusing campaign donations for their own benefit will face stiff consequences.”
Burcroff's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 before U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood. Sentencing guidelines indicate he could serve 14 months in prison although Piszczatowski has argued that sentencing should be no more than 10 months.
