Michigan man files bribery investigation following allegations involving Gotion management and local board

A Michigan man sent a complaint to state and federal authorities on Monday, calling for an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest between former Green Charter Township officials and executives of the Gotion battery company, detailed in court documents and previously reported by Only News.

Letter, obtained exclusively by Only Newsis the latest act in a citizens’ initiative to investigate and overturn the controversial battery factory deal under which China-linked company Gotion will build a battery plant in western Michigan.

Sent to the FBI’s Detroit office, the local U.S. attorney, the Michigan attorney general and state police, the letter from an anonymous state resident suggested the allegations – most recently detailed in court documents that include an undisclosed real estate purchase, offers of a free trip to China and campaign contributions – could reach the level of bribery under federal and state law.

“I am writing to you regarding the recent Gotion, Inc. lawsuits. v. Green Charter Township in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, which appear to disclose the engagements” of a Gotion executive and at least three former township board members “that may violate both federal and state laws prohibiting the offer or receipt of bribes or gratuities,” he wrote citizen Only News by the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group, which is working to inform and educate local residents about the proposed Gotion agreement.

You can read the letter below:

The “deal” with PRC-based and CCP-affiliated Gotion, led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, The Right Place and Ferris State University, some from the Michigan State Legislature and others from local government, was corrupt from the very beginning,” MCESRG director and former ambassador Joseph Cella said in a statement.

“This letter gives a voice to the voiceless citizens who have always known this ‘deal’ is corrupt and rightly want to hold those involved in this ‘deal’ accountable. Their leadership had a huge impact. They have begun to restore the consent of the governed by recalling and defeating some elected officials,” he continued, referring to the successful attempt to oust the old Green Charter Township board because of its support for the CCP-affiliated Gotion factory.

“They continue their important work by asking federal and state law enforcement agencies to investigate potential bribery, public corruption and conflicts of interest, based on recent documents included in the lawsuit filed by PRC-based and CCP-affiliated Gotion against Green Charter Township.” – Cella said.

After locals ousted the old board, new board members immediately backed away from plans to facilitate the construction of Gotion and an electric vehicle battery factory in the community over concerns that the company’s ties to communist China posed a security risk. Gotion claims that the new management’s efforts violate the Development Agreement signed between it and the municipality last year. As a result, Gotion sued the municipality.

Last week Only News announced new reports resulting from a series of lawsuits filed by the new commune management board, which detail allegations of a conflict of interest between former management board members and Gotion.

Citing text messages and undiscovered testimony that are now part of the lawsuit, city officials argue that the development agreement with Gotion is invalid, in part because of conflicts of interest of former board members that were not disclosed when the agreement was allegedly approved. Court records show that at least two former board members may have received financial benefits from Gotion during the period in which the company sought approval for its project.

Text messages attached to the application last Friday show that senior Gotion principal proposed a trip to Hefei, China, to Jim Chapman, then-supervisor of Green Charter Township. Another former board member allegedly benefited financially from the sale of the factory land to Gotion and did not disclose this conflict when voting to approve the preliminary development agreement with the company, Only News reported.

Chapman, however, disputes the allegations in the lawsuit, without disputing the facts, in a statement to Only News. “I have never accepted any encouragement from Gotion or any other group. Gotion was considering a tour of his factory for a group of local people. I was on the list but decided not to go. The trip never took place,” Chapman said Only News in an email after publication.

The Gotion battery plant deal came under scrutiny from local residents almost immediately after it was publicly announced in September 2022. Locals were concerned for several reasons, including the environmental impact and disruption to their community. However, one of the most important and controversial reasons was Gotion’s connections with China, specifically the Chinese Communist Party.

Despite previous claims by company management, Gotion recently admitted in a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing that the company is “subsidized in part by government funds provided by the People’s Republic of China.” Previous reports show that Gotion is wholly owned by its parent company, Gotion High-tech Co., which has participated in programs to obtain military technology for China and employs at least 923 members of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Gotion plant has also raised safety concerns due to its location. The proposed battery plant location is within 100 miles of Camp Grayling, one of the largest National Guard training camps in the country. The Wall Street Journal informed that the Guard was training Taiwanese soldiers in the camp.