Wayne County workers busted for allegedly falsifying their time sheets

Three Wayne County workers are accused of billing taxpayers for time they didn’t work.

The Wayne County Bridge Department employees are expected to be arraigned Tuesday morning on felony counts of larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny.

If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.

They are Scott VanPeeren, 54, of Wyandotte, John Everhart, 50, of Farmington Hills, and Justin Whorton, 40.

“We continue our commitment to hold employees accountable who misuse Wayne County taxpayer dollars,” Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said in a statement Tuesday. “The employees charged today showed a blatant lack of integrity and respect for the residents that we serve. My office will continue to collaborate with Prosecutor Worthy and local and state officials to ensure that everyone involved in this egregious operation is prosecuted.”

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation after receiving a tip about illegal activities involving the three workers in the spring of 2022. According to prosecutors, the investigation revealed that the trio worked at a private business, Romulus Nutrition, in December 2021, when they were supposed to be working for the county.

They are also accused of falsifying their county time sheets.

Prosecutors also allege that the workers used Wayne County equipment and materials while working at Romulus Nutrition.

“We have been charging and holding defendants accountable for their unscrupulous criminal behavior for almost two decades,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “It amazes me that despite this, corruption continues because corrupters think they will never be held to account. In this case, these three defendants allegedly knowingly accepted money from the County in the form of wages that they did not deserve. There is nothing right about this.”

Coming soon: Metro Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting Detroit stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter