We believe that this comprehensive approach is critical to breaking the cycle of incarceration and promoting community safety. of Education. James Van Bramer works at John Jay College. Mr. Dill was asked to provide any proof that Alan Fuqua had been removed as a director of the non-profit and was, indeed, no longer connected to Supreme Felons. Ann Arbor Independent Wins Investigative Reporting Award for Supreme Felons, Inc.. Marshals, Ypsilanti Shooting Leaves 16-Year-Old and 20-Year-Old Dead and Two Hospitalized. Weeks after the Lincoln High School basketball game, on March 23, members of Supreme Felons, Inc. showed up without permission at Ypsilanti Community Middle School to help with security. Unlike Jansen, the Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent issued a public statement that made clear the felons group was unaffiliated with the YCS, did not have permission to be at the school building and that Supreme Felons, Inc. has no place in the Ypsilanti Community Schools.. It would have been caught if we had done background checks for everyone, said Martin. Michigan law requires school districts to alert the Michigan Dept. The grant application submitted by the non-profits president, a murderer named Billy Cole, on parole from a life plus 60 year sentence, contained multiple fabrications. On October 21, in response to the revelations in The A2Indys article, Billy Cole claimed in an interview with WEMU that he was not knowledgable of Alans crimes. Alan Fuqua has been a registered sex offender since 2003. Its a violation of parole and/or probation for a felon to associate with other known felons. In 2022, The Ann Arbor Independent was nominated for multiple reporting awards, including for a series of articles that exposed mismanagement at the Countys domestic violence shelter, SafeHouse. He was charged with felonious assault in prison, and now? Club the Site of Assaults, Shootings, Attempted Murder, A2Politico: County Law Enforcement Leaders Kiss Up To Perps While Crime Rates Skyrocket, Ann Arbor Summer Festival Should Cancel the Drag Queen Storytime Event Scheduled for June 17, Contrary to His Own Rhetoric, County Prosecutor Charges Sixteen-Year-Old Accused of Murder as an Adult, Rep. Dingell Holds Panel Discussion About 1,4 Dioxane Contamination of Drinking Water and Wells, Alleged Shooter in Ypsilanti Twp. Since its launch in 2013, the newspaper has won multiple awards for photography, arts reporting, design and investigative reporting. Also not included are federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors and criminal history from other states. Jackson has repeatedly refused to answer questions about his involvement with the felons, his control of the non-profit, and what control, if any, the Sheriffs candidate has over the $1.2 million in public money awarded to Supreme Felons, Inc. by the Washtenaw County Commissioners in July 2022. He added, If Sue Shink cannot explain why she gave this group founded by a murderer and a sex offender more than $1 million and access to school children, it should be disqualifying for any office she seeks., Commissioner Sanderss opponent Rob Zimmerman said, At the [Oct 19] meeting where I spoke, the Commissioners responded defensively and inappropriately to valid concerns about the countys at- risk youth. 2023 - The Ann Arbor Independent. Six Influential AAPI Women in Suffrage History - Paulsdale In the 70s, Cole was given a life sentence for murder, and 60 years for armed robbery by a Washtenaw County judge. Ann Arbor A nonprofit operated by felons was awarded a $1.2 million contract by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners last year after the group's proposal touted its work in a. 2023 - The Ann Arbor Independent. For comparison, a digital subscription to the Ann Arbor News is priced at $29 per month ($348/year). One of Washtenaw Countys elected officials posits that the job for Billy Cole and the grant to the non-profit Cole co-founded is money well spent in the eyes of elected officials. Emails and text messages shared with The Ann Arbor Independent revealed that two Sheriff's Dept. Public Records Suggest County Commissioners Defrauded the Federal Government By Awarding $1.2M Grant to Supreme Felons, Inc. County Administrator Implicates Himself and Commissioners in Misappropriation of Federal Funds, Ann Arbor Non-Profit Hospice of Michigan Hit With False Claims Act Suit Alleging Widespread Medicaid Fraud, Residents Refused Mental Health Services While CMH Spends Millage Money on Consultants, PR and Paid News Coverage, Ricky Dewayne McCain Didnt Act Alone in the Murder of Jude WaltonHe Had Help, Men Like Us Club Founder Asked County for $70K Grant to Deter Youth Violence; His Ypsi Twp. Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open. Community Outreach Coordinator (Gundy is supervised by Jackson), control Supreme Felons, Inc. On the Supreme Felons, Inc. website, Foley is identified as the groups creator. He has also publicly identified himself as the non-profits Managing Director. Foley refused to answer questions about the non-profit and fabrications in the proposal submitted for the grant because, he said, the story was already written. Foley went on to threaten that the newspaper would be hearing from our lawyer. When asked the name of the lawyer, Foley refused to identify the name of the groups legal representative. Those articles revealed that county employees had stayed at casinos and treated themselves to $35 buffet breakfasts and expensive meals out. All Rights Reserved. All felonies and serious misdemeanors that are punishable by over 93 days are required to be reported to the state repository by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and courts in all 83 Michigan counties. In his grant proposal to the County, Supreme Felons, Inc. president Billy Cole lied and claimed that felons in the group had worked in local public schools and would expand that work. of Education, comments from superintendents of the Ypsilanti Public Schools and WISD, as well as information from officials from the Michigan Dept. That billboard featured a picture of Derrick Jackson. 2023 - The Ann Arbor Independent. of Corrections, reveal that Supreme Felons, Inc. submitted a grant proposal for ARPA funds given to the County by federal officials, peppered with omissions, fabrications, and inconsistencies. The Supreme Felon, Inc. grant proposal provided scant data or metrics to document what the organization had accomplished in the two years it has been a recognized non-profit. Both Cole and Fuqua are currently listed as the non-profits only directors. Cole is supervised by Marvin Gundy, the Sheriffs community engagement director. Superintendent Jansens assistant Ty Smith, in a phone conversation in March of this year, conveyed questions from the Superintendent including this one: How do you know the members of Supreme Felons, Inc. are felons? Robert Jansens questions about Supreme Felons, Inc. suggest the Superintendent had no clue exactly who Supreme Felons, Inc. had sent into the high school during a student sporting event. The A2Indy asked Shink if she knew the nature of Coles crimes prior to her vote and praise of Coles non-profit. In 2022, after the A2Indy revealed that Coles non-profit asked for public money for felons to mentor felons, for felons to mentor school kids and offer programming in Ypsilanti parks, Cole told WEMU that hed had no idea that Fuqua was a sex offender when Supreme Felons, Inc. had been incorporated. Two days after the newspaper broke the story, an unidentified Washtenaw County spokesman told a reporter from WEMU that the Supreme Felons, Inc. proposal had been thoroughly vetted. Subscribing is easy and one year of award-winning, independent local journalism costs $7.00 per month ($84.00/year). Club the Site of Assaults, Shootings, Attempted Murder, A2Politico: County Law Enforcement Leaders Kiss Up To Perps While Crime Rates Skyrocket, Ann Arbor Summer Festival Should Cancel the Drag Queen Storytime Event Scheduled for June 17, Contrary to His Own Rhetoric, County Prosecutor Charges Sixteen-Year-Old Accused of Murder as an Adult, Rep. Dingell Holds Panel Discussion About 1,4 Dioxane Contamination of Drinking Water and Wells, Alleged Shooter in Ypsilanti Twp. The nonprofit group, Supreme Felons Inc., has received $1.2 million in federal ARPA funds from the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, according to reporting from the Ann Arbor Independent. The members of the BOE then take public votes so that its transparent that a felon is being allowed in their public schools. Public Records Suggest County Commissioners Defrauded the Federal Government By Awarding $1.2M Grant to Supreme Felons, Inc. Ann Arbor Restauranteur Sava LelcajFarah Attacked by Knife-Wielding Man in Downtown Ann Arbor, County Commissioners Handed Registered Sex Offender, and County Employee on Parole $1.2M ARPA Grant, County Administrator Implicates Himself and Commissioners in Misappropriation of Federal Funds, Ann Arbor Non-Profit Hospice of Michigan Hit With False Claims Act Suit Alleging Widespread Medicaid Fraud, Residents Refused Mental Health Services While CMH Spends Millage Money on Consultants, PR and Paid News Coverage, Ricky Dewayne McCain Didnt Act Alone in the Murder of Jude WaltonHe Had Help, Men Like Us Club Founder Asked County for $70K Grant to Deter Youth Violence; His Ypsi Twp. District 4 County Commissioner Caroline Sanders, is running opposed for re-election. In the April 2022 Supreme Felons, Inc. proposal to Washtenaw County for the $1.2 million grant, County employee and parolee Billy Cole is listed as the sole creator. 10/19/22: Updated with a comment from Brian Foley of Supreme Felons, Inc. Washtenaw County earmarked a total of $8 million in federal ARPA funds to distribute grants to community groups focused on, among other issues, community violence intervention. Subscribing is easy and one year of award-winning, independent local journalism costs $7.00 per month ($84.00/year). Months after the Washtenaw County Commissioners awarded the $1.2 million ARPA grant to Supreme Felons, Inc. the Ypsilanti DDA was given a version of the non-profits grant proposal that listed Alan Fuqua as the President of Supreme Felons, Inc. and Billy Cole as the Vice President. Subscribing is easy and one year of award-winning, independent local journalism costs $7.00 per month ($84.00/year). Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open. Jansen holds an Education Specialist Degree from Saginaw Valley State University, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Alaska-Anchorage and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Michigan University. Morgan accused the newspaper of spreading misinformation in its reporting of the Commissioners unanimous vote to award the grant; he criticized as inaccurate the newspapers use of public records to determine that the grant had been awarded to a felon on parole, and a registered sex offender. Pay securely online. Shink has repeatedly refused to comment on her vote to hand $1.2 million to Supreme Felons, Inc co-incorporated by a murderer and a registered sex offender. Felons get $1.2M Washtenaw Co. contract despite suspect school claims In 2018, the Ann Arbor Independent went completely digital. Lesko. In 2018, the Ann Arbor Independent went completely digital. Who is Billy Cole to pass judgement on another felon, on anyone else? The grant also raised questions about the credibility and veracity of the RPF submitted by Supreme Felons, Inc. in support of the $1.2 million grant. The Ann Arbor Independent submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Ypsilanti Public Schools to determine if the district had ever permitted anyone associated with Supreme Felons into YPS schools as a volunteer. Indeed, in the Supreme Felons, Inc. proposal, one of the groups activities that will be funded by the $1.2 million grant is registering voters. Furthermore, the budget includes no money to pay federal and state withholding taxes required by law. Cole executed Mark Simpson because, it came out during Coles trial, that Cole and his accomplice were concerned that Simpson would have been able to identify them to police. In March 2022, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in which the Community Priority Fund (CPF) was created. Supreme Felons, Inc.s Billy Cole is presently on parole and employed by the Washtenaw County Sheriff as an outreach worker. Supreme Felons The Ann Arbor Independent competed in the Society of Professional Journalists' "Digital" investigative news category and the "Supreme Felons, Inc." series beat out the investigative reporting of several major news outlets, including The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press and The Oakland Press, among others. Both entities must be accountable to the public for all steps in the process to uphold their fiduciary duty in an ethical manner as it relates to the ARPA Grants.. Lesko Correction: YCS School Board member Dr. Celeste Hawkins was inadvertently identified as the YCS spokesman who contacted The Ann Arbor Independent on March 14 by phone and spoke on the record. On Oct. 17, The Ann Arbor Independent published an article that revealed the $1.2 million ARPA grant had been awarded to Supreme Felons, Inc., and that Michigan public records revealed the non-profit had been incorporated in 2020 by a Sheriff's Dept. Morgan was the Director for Constituent Services and Transparency Liaison for the Michigan Secretary of State for five months in 2019 before departing, according to SOS officials. Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling leaves colleges looking for Its about making sure Derrick Jackson gets elected Sheriff in 2023. He has not done so. Asberry Paine went on to say that, We received 136 applications. Anyone can report fraud to the OIG, according to federal officials. 2023 - The Ann Arbor Independent. In July 2022, the Washtenaw County Administrator Greg Dill recommended to the Board of Commissioners that they vote to give a $1.2 million ARPA fund grant to non-profit Supreme Felons, Inc. They added, Far from being an organization that has had a positive impact on the reduction of crime or recidivism in the County, the proof is in the crime stats. In the WISD? Posted on Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 12:13 p.m. Drug felons will be prohibited from operating marijuana dispensaries, Ann Arbor officials decide By Ryan J. Stanton Subscribing is easy and one year of award-winning, independent local journalism costs $7.00 per month ($84.00/year). The felons who showed up at Lincoln High School are members of a County non-profit contractor called Supreme Felons, Inc. Ypsilanti resident Tyrone Bridges produces a local politics podcast titled, I Thought You Knew. He called the Commissioners actions shameful. Bridges, in his public comments at the Oct. 19 meeting, said that the elected officials were obligated to answer questions about their votes, including from media and constituents. When was Supreme Felons, Inc. granted non-profit status? Hes going to work for the Sheriff?. We immediately parted ways. In reality, Michigan Corporations Division records show Billy Cole replaced Fuqua as the non-profits registered agent in April 2022, shortly before the grant application was due. Sources within the Ypsilanti Police Dept. In 2014, the Monroe Public Schools had no policy or procedure in place to screen volunteers. This whole mess with their fraudulent grant and the County Commissioners involvement has been My Big Fat Felon Farce.. Cole told WEMU that as soon as hed realized Fuqua was a sex offender, he had cut ties with him. head of community outreach, Derrick Jackson. Crystal Campbell placed the entire responsibility for the grant to Supreme Felons, Inc. on the County Commissioners. Weapons charges brought by the Sheriffs office skyrocketed from 87 in number in 2019 to 187 in 2021. Instead, at an Oct. 19 meeting, the County . Fuqua is a registered sex offender who served a 17-year sentence for multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child under 13. Supreme Felons, Inc. is controlled by Sheriff's Dept. Fuqua served 17 years of a 15-30 year sentence for second degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13. For comparison, a digital subscription to the Ann Arbor News is priced at $29 per month ($348/year). All Rights Reserved. In 2018, the Ann Arbor Independent went completely digital. The groups grant proposal includes a budget that has no money allocated for volunteer background checks, so its unclear how the precise nature of a members crimes would be discovered. The Ann Arbor Independent - A locally owned newspaper in Ann Arbor. Photos taken at the basketball game show a murderer on parole from a life plus sixty year sentence posing for photos inside the gymnasium at the Lincoln Consolidated High School during a basketball game. In a recent report on WEMU, Billy Cole, speaking as Supreme Felons, Inc.s self-identified president, expressed outrage at the crimes committed by co-incorporator of the non-profit, Alan Fuqua. Martin doesnt mince words about the importance of proper vetting of volunteers who want to enter schools and have access to students: We just cant be too careful anymore. He should never have been hired to work in the Sheriffs Dept.. For returns required to be filed in 2021, for an organization that has gross receipts of over $1,084,000 for the year, the penalty is $105 a day up to a maximum of $54,000. Records show his 2022 hourly pay rate is $25. 3. Who is presently responsible for oversight of the non-profit corporation, and who is legally responsible for the ARPA fund money? Read the Supreme Felons, Inc. proposal below: 7th Annual Ypsi-GLOW Scheduled for October 28, Assaulted Part 2: The Prosecutor and the District Court Making the Motions, Sheriff and Ypsi PD Partially Responsible For Recent Double Homicide, Critics Claim, Ann Arbor Employees Who Ran Afoul of Citys COVID-19 Policies File Civil Rights, Rep. Dingell Holds Panel Discussion About 1,4 Dioxane Contamination of Drinking Water, Ypsilanti Shooting Leaves 16-Year-Old and 20-Year-Old Dead and Two Hospitalized.