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Michigan state Senate
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.
A group of women in Macomb County is calling for Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido to resign, saying he has demonstrated a pattern of sexual harassment and surrounds himself with abusers.
The Macomb County Accountability Project is also encouraging women to come forward if they’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted by Lucido. The group, which speaks out against abusive politicians and community leaders, established an online form for alleged victims to share their stories.
“These stories are essential to giving voice to those who haven’t been heard,” Emily Mellits, a member of the project and a lifelong Macomb County resident, said at a news conference Tuesday.
In the past two years, four women have publicly alleged that Lucido sexually harassed or inappropriately touched them. The latest allegation came in March, when Ingham County Judge Lisa McCormick told Michigan Advance that Lucido gave her an inappropriate “big bear hug, a tight hug” that made her feel “uncomfortable” in 2019.
Three of the sexual harassment claims were made when Lucido was a state senator. Republican leaders responded last year by removing him as chairman of a key committee and ordering him to participate in workplace training.
"Sen. Lucido's conduct demonstrates an unfortunate pattern of behavior that requires little to no interpretation to be understood as inappropriate workplace behavior," the report stated in March 2020.
“He is a dark cloud of corruption and shame and is a threat to Macomb County and Macomb County families,” project member Carmi Finn said.
Lucido also has surrounded himself with abusers, the project members allege.
When he was running for county prosecutor last year, one of Lucido’s largest fundraisers was held by criminal defense attorney Nicole Blank Becker, who specializes in defending people accused of sex crimes and child abuse. Becker helped raise $17,200 for Lucido and donated $4,250 herself, according to campaign finance records. One of Becker’s clients is R&B artist R. Kelly, who has been accused of numerous cases of sexual abuse.
On her website, Becker boasts that she’s “one of the most passionate sex offender lawyers” and is “comfortable & trained to question Children.”
Another donor to Lucido’s campaign is Kaylin Drewery, who was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and released from jail early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drewery’s donation to Lucido was the only one he’s made in his life, according to project members.
At the center of Lucido’s investigation into Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 nursing home policies is Anthony Messina, a convicted pedophile who sexually assaulted young boys between 1997 and 2003. He served eight years in prison. Messina reported that his sister died after getting infected with COVID-19 in a nursing home in April 2020.
National legal experts have called on the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission to investigate Lucido’s investigation, alleging he “has a personal, political ax to grind regarding Gov. Whitmer.”
“He has been allowed to avoid accountability for too long,” Kristina Lodovisi, a project member, said. “He has lost the trust of the people of Macomb County, and he must resign.”
Metro Times couldn’t reach Lucido for comment
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