OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. \u2013 Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday announced 16 felony charges against a Farmington Hills businesswoman accused of stealing and misusing millions of dollars from a $20 million state grant meant to create a global business accelerator in Oakland County.<\/p>\n
Fay Beydoun, 62, is charged in 47th District Court with conducting a criminal enterprise, forgery, uttering and publishing, and multiple counts of larceny by conversion, according to Nessel\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Investigators allege Beydoun created and controlled Global Link International, then repeatedly lied to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which administered the grant, about how the money was spent.<\/p>\n
Nessel said Beydoun \u201csought and received a $20 million \u2018Michigan enhancement grant\u2019 from the state Legislature\u201d and used it for \u201cpersonal expenses and her own enrichment.\u201d <\/p>\n
The attorney general criticized the way the grant was created and awarded, calling it unlike the traditional grant process and enabled by \u201cpolitical cronyism with minimal oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The grant was included in Public Act 166 of 2022, the state budget law for fiscal year 2023, and was intended to establish and operate a business accelerator. <\/p>\n
At the time the grant was secured, Beydoun served on the MEDC Executive Committee, the attorney general said. <\/p>\n
Nessel\u2019s office alleges that no businesses relocated to Michigan through Global Link\u2019s efforts and that Beydoun paid herself a $550,000 annual salary.<\/p>\n
Among the allegations, prosecutors say Beydoun forged an invoice from a law firm and submitted it to the MEDC, misrepresented a $40,800 lease, and submitted a French-language receipt for two handmade Tunisian rugs costing more than $6,000 while describing it as an expense tied to an investor\u2019s event abroad.<\/p>\n
The charges also allege Beydoun billed the MEDC for catering expenses of between $1,000 and $2,000 on two occasions in 2023, claiming the costs supported Global Link events or focus groups. <\/p>\n
Instead, investigators say the meals were two private dinners at Beydoun\u2019s home associated with then-Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson said Duggan had no knowledge that MEDC funds were used for the dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayor Duggan attended two small dinners as a guest of Fay Beydoun, which were part of more than 100 small meet-and-greets hosted by Michiganders in homes and offices all across Michigan,\u201d Duggan\u2019s spokesperson, Andrea Bitely, said via email. \u201cHe accepted a host\u2019s invitation to small meet-and-greets. Nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other alleged personal purchases charged to the grant included more than $5,000 to Royce Lighting for furniture and home decor and more than $1,400 at an Ace Hardware store for patio and gardening supplies, according to the attorney general\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Investigators also allege Beydoun submitted false reports to prevent the MEDC from terminating the grant and to continue drawing her salary.<\/p>\n
Nessel said investigators have not found evidence that the grant led to businesses relocating to Michigan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, during our year and a half investigation, our office has conducted dozens of interviews and reviewed thousands of documents and has yet to find even a single identifiable business that, for the efforts of Global Link International, relocated to Michigan or was even presented with or considered any such proposal,\u201d Nessel said.<\/p>\n
Beydoun\u2019s attorney, Vincent Haisha, a partner at Flood Law, disputed the allegations in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last six months, our firm has attempted to demonstrate the illogical nature of the allegations against Ms. Beydoun to the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Despite those efforts, it is evident that certain parties felt the need to further this very public spectacle in a way that is neither supported by the evidence that we have seen nor the investigative materials we possess. As always, we will save our best arguments for the courtroom and pursue every avenue available for our client,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The attorney general\u2019s office opened its investigation in 2024. The MEDC terminated the Global Link grant on March 18, 2025, following reports of financial irregularities, Nessel said.<\/p>\n
In September 2025, the attorney general\u2019s office froze more than $6.3 million in grant funds held in bank accounts connected to Beydoun.<\/p>\n
Nessel criticized oversight of the grant, saying, \u201cMEDC absolutely needs to have better guardrails and better policies and better protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beydoun was appointed to the MEDC Executive Committee by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.<\/p>\n
Whitmer\u2019s spokesperson, Stacey LaRouche, said in a statement that anyone who misuses taxpayer dollars should be held accountable.<\/p>\n
She said Whitmer\u2019s \u201cbudget recommendation does not include these types of legislative enhancement grants because they are not a good use of taxpayer dollars. <\/p>\n
The legislature needs to continue to work to improve its appropriations process to ensure that every penny of taxpayer dollars spent is used appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MEDC said it has cooperated with the attorney general\u2019s investigation \u201cfrom the beginning\u201d and will continue to do so, but said it would have no comment on the charges.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the MEDC said it received the grant paperwork from the State Budget Office in March 2023 and made the statutorily required initial disbursement later that month. <\/p>\n
The agency said it made no additional disbursements and that by mid-2024, Beydoun was discussing a wind-down of the grant.<\/p>\n
It said conversations between lawyers continued into August 2024 before the MEDC formally terminated the grant on March 18, 2025, and demanded the return of remaining funds.<\/p>\n
In a separate statement, the MEDC said it has \u201calready implemented many changes\u201d in how it manages legislatively directed spending items, including adding an in-house compliance team review and reviewing all open items to monitor how funds are being spent \u201cin accordance with their respective statutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beydoun was released on a $50,000 bond. A pre-exam conference is scheduled for May 20.<\/p>\n
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