★ Petition ★
Seeking Legal Radifications for Criminal Activities
Class Action Lawsuits Against Whitmer
0
Petition Signatures Collected
STATE OF MICHIGAN
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT
INGHAM COUNTY
CITIZEN PETITION FOR CONVENING OF GRAND JURY
AND CRIMINAL REFERRAL FOR INDICTMENT
In the Matter of: GRETCHEN WHITMER,
Governor of the State of Michigan
Petitioners: THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
(Signatures Attached)
Case No. ______________
Hon. ______________
I. INTRODUCTION AND BASIS FOR PETITION
Petitioners, being citizens and registered voters of the State of Michigan, hereby invoke their rights under MCL 767.3 and petition this Court to convene a Citizens Grand Jury to investigate, and where probable cause is found, indict Governor Gretchen Whitmer for criminal misconduct in office, misappropriation of public funds, and related offenses. The evidence of wrongdoing is documented, substantial, and demands criminal accountability. Civil remedies alone are insufficient. The People demand indictment, prosecution, and where the evidence supports it, incarceration.
II. STATUTORY BASIS
MCL 767.3 authorizes the convening of a grand jury upon petition of citizens of the state. Petitioners invoke this statute and request that the Court direct the empaneling of a grand jury to hear evidence of the following criminal acts.
Additional statutes implicated by the conduct described herein include MCL 750.485 (misappropriation of public funds), MCL 750.505 (misconduct in office), MCL 750.157a (conspiracy), and 18 USC 242 (deprivation of rights under color of law).
III. CRIMINAL ALLEGATIONS
Allegation 1. Misappropriation of Public Funds. MCL 750.485.
The Whitmer administration oversaw the loss of up to $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims. [1] Audits document that agency directors under Whitmer\'s authority instructed staff to disable fraud detection systems against the advice of senior career employees. [2] This was not mere incompetence. Disabling fraud detection on a system disbursing billions of taxpayer dollars, against documented internal warnings, and in defiance of audit findings, rises to the level of criminal misappropriation and willful waste of public funds. The state is now attempting to claw back $2.7 billion from 350,000 Michigan citizens who received overpayments while the perpetrators of this failure have faced no criminal accountability. [1]
Allegation 2. Misconduct in Office. MCL 750.505.
Whitmer issued 192 executive orders that the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously declared illegal and unconstitutional. [3] She continued to exercise disputed powers after those rulings. She proposed defunding the only independent body auditing her administration. [4] She entered into closed-door corporate subsidy deals worth billions of dollars against the expressed wishes of residents and local governments. [5] Each of these acts individually constitutes misconduct in office. Together they form a criminal pattern that cannot be addressed through civil remedies alone.
Allegation 3. Conspiracy to Defraud the Public. MCL 750.157a.
The $20 million earmark directed to a campaign donor who hosted fundraisers for Whitmer while simultaneously seeking state funds constitutes a prima facie case of pay-to-play corruption. [6] The closed-door nature of data center deals negotiated between the governor\'s office, DTE Energy, OpenAI, Oracle, and Related Digital, combined with the silencing of local opposition through corporate litigation and the deliberate defunding of oversight, indicates a coordinated effort to enrich connected parties at public expense. [5] These actions did not happen in isolation. They form a pattern of conduct directed at diverting public resources to private and political benefit.
Allegation 4. Abuse of Power Under Color of Law. 18 USC 242 and Michigan Common Law.
Whitmer\'s use of unconstitutional executive orders to shut down businesses, ban religious gatherings, and restrict the movement of Michigan citizens constitutes deprivation of rights under color of law. The Michigan Supreme Court confirmed she had no legal authority to issue these orders after April 30, 2020. [3] She acted anyway. She issued further orders. She publicly stated she did not need legislative authorization. This was not a good-faith legal disagreement. It was a deliberate exercise of power the courts had already told her she did not possess.
Allegation 5. Waste and Conversion of Public Resources.
The tax exemptions granted to data center corporations through 2050 and 2065 represent the conversion of billions in future public tax revenue to private corporate benefit with minimal return to Michigan citizens. In exchange for tax breaks lasting decades, companies are only required to create 30 full-time positions. [7] That is not economic development. It is the transfer of public wealth to private interests. When done in secret, against the will of the people, in communities that voted against these projects, it warrants criminal scrutiny under MCL 750.505 and common law doctrines of public trust.
IV. DOCUMENTED HARM TO THE PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN
1.Up to $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments disbursed and unrecovered under Whitmer\'s watch. [1]
2.$2.7 billion now being clawed back from 350,000 ordinary Michigan citizens who received overpayments, while no executive accountability has occurred. [1]
3.$20 million in public funds directed to a Whitmer campaign donor under circumstances now under criminal investigation. [6]
4.Billions in future tax revenue committed to corporations requiring as few as 30 jobs in return, negotiated in secret without public input. [7]
5.The systematic defunding of the only nonpartisan body empowered to audit and expose these abuses. [4]
6.The continued exercise of unconstitutional executive power after the Michigan Supreme Court struck it down, impacting every business owner, family, and person of faith in the state. [3]
V. REQUEST FOR RELIEF
Petitioners respectfully request that this Court:
A. Accept this petition pursuant to MCL 767.3 and convene a Citizens Grand Jury to investigate the allegations set forth herein.
B. Direct the Grand Jury to examine all financial records, executive orders, earmark approvals, data center contract negotiations, and communications of the Office of the Governor related to the matters described herein.
C. Direct the Grand Jury to examine the role of the Office of the Attorney General in any potential obstruction of prior investigations into these matters.
D. Issue subpoenas as necessary for all relevant documents, records, and testimony.
E. Where the Grand Jury finds probable cause, return a bill of indictment against Gretchen Whitmer on any and all applicable charges including but not limited to misappropriation of public funds under MCL 750.485, misconduct in office under MCL 750.505, conspiracy to defraud the public under MCL 750.157a, and abuse of power under color of law under 18 USC 242.
F. Appoint special independent counsel to prosecute any resulting indictment, given the conflict of interest of the Office of the Attorney General as described in the companion filing People of Michigan v. Nessel.
G. Award such other relief as this Court deems just and proper.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the People of the State of Michigan
Lead Petitioner:
Printed Name:
Signature:
Address:
Date:
Contact:
* Signature pages attached and incorporated herein by reference.
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
Citizen Grand Jury Petition - In the Matter of Gretchen Whitmer
[1] Michigan Capitol Confidential. Michigan Clawing Back $2.7B from 350,000 People. November 28, 2025. https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/michigan-clawing-back-2-7b-from-350000-people
[2] Detroit News. Audit: Unemployment Agency\'s Lax Fraud Policies During Pandemic Led to Billions in Overpayments. January 6, 2023. https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/01/06/michigan-unemployment-insurance-agency-not-effective-state-audit-fraud-covid-pandemic-jobless-aid/69783165007/
[3] Daily Signal. How the Michigan Supreme Court Whacked Whitmer for COVID-19 Overreach. October 14, 2020. https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/10/14/how-the-michigan-supreme-court-whacked-whitmer-for-covid-19-overreach
[4] Michigan House GOP. Governor\'s Plan to Defund Key Oversight Office Frees Her Administration of Accountability. March 14, 2024. https://gophouse.org/posts/governors-plan-to-defund-key-oversight-office-frees-her-administration-of-accountability
[5] Economic Populist. The Fight Over Data Centers is Heating Up in Michigan and the United States. February 5, 2026. https://economicpopulist.substack.com/p/the-fight-over-data-centers-is-heating
[6] Bridge Michigan. Whitmer Breaks Silence on $20M Earmark Probe. July 17, 2025. https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/whitmer-breaks-silence-20m-earmark-probe-says-shes-very-troubled-allegations/
[7] Michigan Chronicle. Tax Breaks for Michigan Data Centers Under Fire from Bipartisan Coalition. December 17, 2025. https://michiganchronicle.com/tax-breaks-for-michigan-data-centers-under-fire-from-bipartisan-coalition/
[8] Bridge Michigan. Audit: Michigan Unemployment Agency Still Struggles with COVID-Era Claims. May 15, 2025. https://bridgemi.com/business-watch/audit-michigan-unemployment-agency-still-struggles-covid-era-claims/
[9] NPR. Michigan Paid Up to $8.5 Billion in Fraudulent Jobless Claims During the Pandemic. December 30, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/30/1069048017/michigan-paid-8-5-billion-in-fraudulent-jobless-claims-during-the-pandemic
[10] Bridge Michigan. Michigan Supreme Court Rules Whitmer Lacks COVID-19 Emergency Powers. October 2020. https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-supreme-court-rules-whitmer-lacks-covid-19-emergency-powers/
[11] Michigan Legislature. House Impeachment Resolution 0324. 2020. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2019-2020/resolutionintroduced/house/htm/2020-HIR-0324.htm
[12] Mackinac Center. Gov. Whitmer\'s Unilateral Extension of COVID-19 State of Emergency Deemed Illegal and Unconstitutional. 2020. https://www.mackinac.org/HealthcareEO
[13] Postindustrial. Michigan Data Centers: Economic Development Challenges. February 27, 2026. https://postindustrial.com/stories/big-gretch-out-sure-but-whitmer-remains-out-of-touch-on-data-center-issue/
[14] Planet Detroit. Data Centers in Michigan Win Tax Breaks, Raising Energy Concerns. February 5, 2025. https://planetdetroit.org/2025/01/michigan-data-centers-tax-exemptions/
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