Former City of Dearborn Employee Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes

Leticia Bosemon, 38, of Inkster and former employee of the City of Dearborn Building and Safety Department pleaded guilty today to accepting bribes in return for issuing temporary certificates of occupancy for residential property in the City of Dearborn.

United States Attorney Terrence G. Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Defendant Bosemon admitted in court today that from the fall of 2006 until June, 2008, while working in the City of Dearborn Building and Safety Department, she accepted in excess of $63,000 from many individuals in return for preparing fraudulent performance bonds and issuing temporary certificates of occupancy.

The City of Dearborn requires a purchaser of a foreclosed home to either place cash in escrow with the Building and Safety Department or obtain a performance bond in that amount from a private surety company before a temporary certificate of occupancy can be issued. The individuals who paid Bosemon for the fraudulent documents paid her less than they would have been charged by private surety companies for the legitimate performance bonds required by the City of Dearborn.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bosemon faces a maximum penalty of 37 months and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been set for December 3, 2009 at 2:00 pm.

United States Attorney Berg said, “All citizens are victimized when government officials betray their sacred obligations to uphold the public trust by taking bribes. We will continue to make such cases a priority.”

Special Agent Arena said, “Public corruption is a top investigative priority of the FBI and we will continue to aggressively investigate individuals who misuse their public positions for personal gain. The FBI would like to thank the Dearborn Police Department for their assistance in this case. We would also like to encourage the public to call your local FBI office if you have any information/complaints regarding public corruption matters."

Mr. Berg commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dearborn Police Department for their investigation and thanked the City of Dearborn for their cooperation and assistance. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela Thompson.

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