Eastpointe mayor accused of fraudulently applying for COVID-19 grant

Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens was charged Tuesday with a felony after prosecutors alleged she fraudulently applied for a $10,000 COVID-19 CARES Act grant.

Owens faces up to five years in prison and a $20,000 fine if convicted.

She was arraigned Thursday on one count of false pretenses in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township .

The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office alleges Owens falsified information on her application for a CARES Act grant in November 2020.

“I will not shy away from public corruption cases,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement. “This is not the first time my office has authorized charges involving a public servant during my two years as a county prosecutor. I ran for office to clean up public corruption.”

In 2019, Owens became the city’s youngest and first Black mayor.

Her time in office has been marked with controversy. She often clashes with other council members, and in November 2022, four Eastpointe residents filed a federal lawsuit against her for refusing to let them speak during a public comment period at a city council meeting.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit alleges Owens violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of four residents who tried to criticize Owens at a public meeting in September.

A preliminary hearing in the criminal case is set for April 11.

Metro Times couldn’t reach Owens for comment.

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