A Detroit man pleaded guilty this week to embezzling more than $60,000 from a Wayne County District Court judge for whom he clerked.
Steven Allen, 43, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000 and one count of theft of a payment transaction device.
Allen was charged with four counts in connection with the embezzlement in January and must pay $64,651.74 in restitution and serve three years’ probation, the Michigan Department of the Attorney General said in a news release.
Allen’s attorney, Eric Goze, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Allen worked as a judicial assistant for a judge in the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County from 2018 to 2022. He illegally obtained a bank card linked to the judge’s accounts and made withdrawals and purchases without the judge’s knowledge during that time, investigators said.
The judge learned of the missing funds after being informed of the payment of back taxes on a second property, even though Allen had presented checks that appeared to have paid off the tax debt.
“Embezzlement is a serious crime with devastating financial consequences that destroys trust when committed by someone close to the victim,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “My department will continue to prosecute individuals who exploit their position for personal gain.”
Allen’s sentencing is scheduled for October 4 in the Third Circuit Court.
His guilty plea comes less than a week after a Muskegon woman was sentenced to prison in a federal prison for stealing more than $780,000 from client accounts at a trust company.
Another person, a Kent County investment adviser, was convicted last month of embezzling $260,000 from clients.
In Wayne County, a Detroit woman was convicted in July of embezzling more than $90,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
