He fights the fight for the little guy, and for the good guy. DePernos biggest claim to fame has been his efforts to find evidence that fraud cost Trump the election. "The Republican Party is now pretty well cemented as the party of election denying, conspiracy theories, tin hats and supporting Capitol riots," Miller said. DePerno has called Nessel's allegations garbage and said she's using the investigatory powers of her office for political purposes. Gretchen Whitmer in public polling and in the last election. She said in her victory speech she plans to move the state forward over the next four years. DePerno skyrocketed to fame in conservative circles in the aftermath of the 2020 election, alleging voting machines were compromised because unofficial results were skewed toward President Joe Biden before they were corrected. DePerno wasn't paying attention in first grade when he was told how to behave himself, Magistrate Joseph Scoville said in announcing the sanctions at a May 2012 hearing, according to a transcript reviewed by Bridge. They dont make guys like him anymore. Greenlee said Republicans were responding to his message of activating and engaging the delegates. Trump's choice for the post, Matthew DePerno, had all the . 0:57. Matt DePerno, a Republican candidate for Michigan attorney general, has appeared at Capitol rallies calling for a forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election. He also has a big fan inside the Michigan Republican Party: co-chair Meshawn Maddock, who endorsed him earlier this month, an unusual move considering the party traditionally is expected to stay out of contested convention races. The Antrim County case made DePerno a national figure in Trumps campaign to overturn the election but prompted criticism from a Republican-led Michigan Senate panel that accused him of making false claims for personal profit, echoing allegations that marred DePernos legal career nearly two decades earlier. Because of the conflict of interest of investigating him, Nessel sought the appointment of a special prosecutor to decide if charges are warranted. In at least one instance, DePerno admitted that he falsified billing to a clients account, the law firms attorney said in a court filing. But Democrats have slammed his continued unproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election. Other issues her campaign highlights includes consumer protection, protection for seniors, environmental protection, health care access, and robocall reductions. LANSING Former President Donald Trump endorsed Kalamazoo attorney Matt DePerno on Friday in the race for chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. Trump, who has touted DePerno's legal efforts, endorsed him to be Michigan's attorney general on Sept. 16, 2021. That happens all the time, and then things are resolved.. In November 2020, Antrim County resident, William Bailey, hired Matthew to represent him in his lawsuit against Antrim County and the Michigan Secretary of States office, to conduct his own audit of the November general election irregularities in Antrim County. Their insurance company initially offered to pay them $123,360 for personal property losses and living expenses but asked a judge to determine whether another $80,000 should go to the Moffits or the IRS, whom they owed money to, according to court filings. Published reports say Nessel's office is asking that a special prosecutor investigate whether the Republican candidate for state attorney general, Matt DePerno, and others should be charged in . Trump had also endorsed DePerno in that . ", Eric Castiglia, chairman of the Republican Party of Macomb County, said DePerno is gaining steam politically because of his focus on the "rule of law.". DePerno is best known for defending former state Rep. Todd Courser after a2015 sex scandalcover up and challengingAntrim County election resultsin a failed lawsuit that spawned ongoing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Those allegations, contained in never-before-reported documents out of Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, were only made public because DePerno sued the firm in an attempt to cash out his shares and transfer the lease on a company vehicle that was repossessed after his firing. In August, Nessel sought a special prosecutor to consider charges against DePerno and eight others over an alleged conspiracy to gain improper access to voting machines. He will have a staff of more than 500 people, and his . "Matthew DePerno showed up the day after the election, using our president's name, taking nearly $400,000 from every one of you," Leonard said during a debate in Oakland County. Buhl, the former judge, had already been retired for six years when he began observing DePernos legal work because he was asked to serve as an expert witness in the Moffits malpractice suit. Hes helped a Portage high school student rejoin the tennis team after she had been kicked off following an illegal search of her car that revealed remnants of marijuana, DePerno said. Ann Arbor Republican Matt DePerno, who's asking voters to make him Michigan's top law enforcement official on Nov. 8, faced a bench warrant for his arrest about two months before he. Thousands of Michigan Republican Party delegates participate in the convention as they considered who should be their new leader after suffering historic losses in the November 2022 election. Nov 2. In a related case, involving a malpractice claim against DePerno, he argued the Kreis Enderle firm invented a claim of misconduct to deny him state unemployment benefits. I've taken on tough cases. Vote Furyk. The people of MIchigan are tired of the rising crime, threats to parental rights and an ongoing lack of trust in government. A Republican-led state Senate panel that spent months investigating the contest found no evidence of widespread fraud. Experts say there isno credible evidenceof fraud in Antrim County, and a hand recount of paper ballots later confirmed the official results showing Trump won the area with 61 percent of the vote, just shy of his 62 percent showing in 2016. Former state Rep. Aaron Miller, a Republican from Sturgis, said Karamo's victory indicated some Michigan Republicans want to keep losing elections. He alleged oppression of a minority shareholder and said his termination caused extreme mental anguish, emotional distress, shock and humiliation.. He fights the fight for the little guy, and for the good guy. New York University School of Law Master of Laws (LL.M.) In August 2022, Reuters reported that presumptive Republican nominee Matthew DePerno "led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment while hunting for evidence to support former President Donald Trump's false election-fraud claims" following the 2020 election. DePerno lost to Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel by 9 percentage points in November. DePerno committed fraud, deceit and dishonesty with regards to bogus billing, duplicate billing and write offs, in addition to other wrongful acts, his former law firm Kreis, Enderle, Calendar and Hudgins PC alleged in a 2006 legal filing. As a tax attorney who worked primarily in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, his legal career has been marked by discord. All rights reserved. In a Feb. 26, 2020, filing in the Court of Appeals, DePerno addressed the warrants facing him and his client. Attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno is a favorite of former President Donald Trump and a leading proponent of efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in Michigan. Greenlee, who's worked in politics for more than three decades, appeared to be gaining some level of support on Saturday. "I have been told to stop talking about America first values. "Dana Nessel, the Radical Left, and the RINOs (Republicans in name only) are targeting Matt because he gets results and has exposed so much voter fraud in Antrim County, and many more places, in the 2020 election," Trump said at the time. People get into disputes and they say things about each other in litigation, he told Bridge in a phone interview. DePerno and the firm eventually reached a settlement the terms of which were not available in court documents. Weve been there for you with daily Michigan COVID-19 news; reporting on the emergence of the virus, daily numbers with our tracker and dashboard, exploding unemployment, and we finally were able to report on mass vaccine distribution. Ironically, DePerno, who was a fierce opponent of the 2020 election results and consistently denied their outcome, conceded the race for attorney general prior to it being called by media outlets. In May 2021, a local judge blocked DePerno's push for an "independent and nonpartisan forensic audit" in Antrim County. He picked the fight and then billed them $130,000. He alleged oppression of a minority shareholder and said his termination caused "extreme mental anguish, emotional distress, shock and humiliation.". Matthew DePerno was born in Warren and raised in Troy, Michigan. DePerno has also referred to Nessel, who is gay, as a groomer, which has drawn condemnation. Trump has thrown significant political weight behind DePerno, endorsing him, speaking on his behalf at a Mar-A-Lago fundraiser and announcing plans to stump for him and other endorsed candidates at a Michigan rally on April 2. The billing allegations could be a disqualifying factor for DePerno as a candidate, said John Truscott, a Republican public relations professional who served as press secretary under former Gov. DePerno had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. (Bridge photo by Jonathan Oosting). Matthew Wilk of Northville said Republicans cant rely on the state party to do things the state GOP used to do. It was a "trick," DePerno told the state Court of Appeals on Feb. 26, 2020. DePerno is one of nine people who were investigated by Nessel's office for an alleged Michigan vote tabulator tampering scheme. The grievance commission can also privately admonish an attorney or place them on contractual probation, but those lighter punishments are not made public. Weve been there for you with daily Michigan COVID-19 news; reporting on the emergence of the virus, daily numbers with our tracker and dashboard, exploding unemployment, and we finally were able to report on mass vaccine distribution. In a recent letter to Michigan GOP precinct delegates, Trump called DePerno an incredible attorney who led the charge in calling out obvious voter fraud by suing over the election in Antrim County, where an error by the Republican clerk skewed initial results in favor of Democrat Joe Biden but was quickly corrected. Natalie DePerno, 23, graduated with an accounting degree from MSU. DePerno received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a J.D. Thanks for submitting! but he had a falling out with the firm, which accused him of "acts of fraud and dishonesty" and alleged he "padded" his billable hours. Michigan GOP delegates chose ex-President Donald Trump's candidates for attorney general, Matthew DePerno, and secretary of state, Kristina Karamo. If a person does not appear and the bench warrant is issued, that means should that person be stopped while driving or anything like that, it will show up on the polices system," Dallo said of what would lead to an arrest. I have fought to try to vindicate President Trump when no one else would., Doing the right thing doesnt always make you popular," DePerno added moments later. DePerno is well-known and well-liked by many clients, but his legal career has been marked by some discord. On February 20, 2014, Mr. DePerno physically grabbed (me) by the shirt and informed me that if I did not immediately pay the attorney fees owed that my wife and I would lose our home in a matter of weeks, Ronald Moffit, who died in 2019, said in hissworn affidavit. 2023 Bridge Michigan. DePerno is willing to take on "the status quo of corruption," Carra said. Were going to be a political machine that strikes fear in the heart of Democrats," Karamo told delegates. State Rep. Ryan Berman is also running. About. After realizing there were problems with the numbers, Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy's office canvassed the election results and reported official numbers. Hilson, hasn't yet announced a decision. 2023 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, DePerno rose to political prominence challenging the 2020 presidential election results, sought a special prosecutor to consider charges against DePerno. During her speech before the first vote, Karamo touted her decision last year not to concede the secretary of state race to Benson in November and said the party's current leadership operated like a "political mafia." She was speaking out against "fake issues" that she said were dividing people. Nessel's office began its investigation in February, before DePerno was her opponent. Two years into what had become a vicious legal fight, DePerno allegedly pressured the Moffits to sign a fee agreement that put their property mortgages up as collateral in the event they could not pay DePernos legal bills, which Buhl described as an unorthodox deal the kind of which he had never seen before. DePerno committed fraud, deceit and dishonesty with regards to bogus billing, duplicate billing and write offs, in addition to other wrongful acts, his former law firm Kreis, Enderle, Calendar and Hudgins PC alleged in a 2006 legal filing. Now calling himself a constitutional attorney, DePerno told Bridge his favorite cases are those that involve constitutional rights people who have arguments that they've lost their rights because of government overreach.. Karamo lost to Benson by 14 percentage points. Campaign donors love a winner, dump Michigan GOP for Democrats after election, Turns out, young voters didnt sway 22 election in Michigan, records show, Basically broke, Michigan GOP to charge delegates to attend convention, Share the article you just read on Twitter, Share the article you just read on Facebook, Share the article you just read via email, Michigan stopped Ohio toxic waste last week, but we import waste every day, Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Karamo's election as state party chair marks the first time in state history that both the Michigan Republican and Democratic parties are chaired by Black women. I think the party recreates itself locally. Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. But six days after the Moffits refused to pay his fees, DePerno took action to try and collect: He began foreclosure proceedings to sell the Moffits new home and the land where their old home had burned down, according to court filings. In his original complaint, DePerno alleged he was wrongfully fired from his $110,000 job because he had raised questions about the financial operations of the firm. Incredibly, the appeals court noted, DePerno made the following analogy: lets assume a Judge was raped. Both of the final two candidates, Karamo and DePerno, had denied the results of the 2020 election: Trump's loss. Feb 10 Don't miss our Pre-Convention Rally with President Donald Trump THIS MONDAY! Trump's backing helped DePerno win a three-way race at an April convention for the party's attorney general nomination. For the 53-year-old attorney's detractors, he's a threat to democracy with a questionable professional record that includes an ongoing state criminal investigation into a scheme to access voting tabulators. "Petitioners have also have been in direct contact with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department to resolve the bench warrants.". Especially if the Judge has expressed a dislike for rapists., Kent County Circuit Court Judge Donald A. Johnston, who presided over the disqualification hearing, denied DePernos request to remove Dodge, and noted that, "I don't know of any judges that have ever expressed a like for rapists.. He went on to repeatedly appear in Antrim County court to challenge the November 2020 election results while the warrant was in place. The ProAssurance Casualty Company alleged DePerno made unreasonable demands of attorneys they had hired to represent him in the Moffits malpractice suit. (Bridge photo by Jonathan Oosting). DePerno is a "workaholic" who goes to great lengths for his clients and is like an "encyclopedia" of law and the Constitution, Bailey told Bridge. The parties later settled for $20,000, which Detroit News publisher and editor Gary Miles called a message thatfrivolous lawsuitsagainst news organizations for performing their duties under the First Amendment will not be taken lightly.. 62. In early August, Nessel sought a special prosecutor to consider potential charges against DePerno and eight others because of an alleged "conspiracy" to gain improper access to voting machines in Michigan. If you care about Michigan, please support our work. Trump had actually won the county by 3,788 votes, 61%-37%, a 7,048-vote swing from the unofficial results. Experts say there is no credible evidence of fraud in Antrim County, and a hand recount of paper ballots later confirmed the official results showing Trump won the area with 61 percent of the vote, just shy of his 62 percent showing in 2016. to willful neglect of duty by a public officer. Perry Johnson (Governor) - $270,000. LaBrant labeled DePerno a "fool" with a "checkered past.". I will continue to fight like hell to restore Michigan to all it can be and I look forward to continuing this journey with you all.". Thus began another unexpected legal fight, as the Moffits hired a new attorney to stop the foreclosure sale and sue DePerno for legal malpractice, alleging he fought their insurer without their consent, overbilled and padded billings, including a $13,000 charge to reassemble their case file after DePerno parted ways with his law firm at the time, Veritas Group. The convention lasted about 11 hours with delegates battling over how the votes at the event would be counted and last-minute jockeying among the 10 candidates for party chair. But it leaves him running to. "So a police officer will be able to see on their laptop that theres a bench warrant for this person.. A secretary at DePernos second law firm the Veritas Group said in a sworn affidavit that she had heard yelling from the conference room as he met with the Moffits. But he told Bridge he cannot discuss details because of a confidential settlement. Karamo was elected as party chairwoman last month, defeating 10 other candidates including Trump-backed former attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno. Matthew S. DePerno, Esq. However, Shepard said DePerno wants to fix "the outdated and confusing" law, which dates to the 1840s. "I can't answer that question," the lawyer said. The special prosecutor, D.J. In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were: Tudor Dixon (Governor) - $7,362,895. DePerno, 53, is a Portage-based attorney who primarily works on tax cases and worked primarily in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties. DePerno, who never held elected office, rode Trumps endorsement to win the Republican Party nomination over two candidates who have served in the Legislature. ", While DePerno said he was conceding the race, he also said he would "refuse to concede that Michigan is a blue state. In an August interview, DePerno declined to say whether the money helped fund a group of "expert witnesses" who pushed to obtain and analyze voting tabulators in Michigan. Baker didn't respond to a request for comment. "Incredibly, the appeals court noted, DePerno made the following analogy: lets assume a Judge was raped. DePerno formed his campaign committee to run for attorney general 12 days later, on July 14, 2021.