LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Steven Allen, 42, of Detroit, was arraigned Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the 36th District Court in Wayne County on four felonies for forgery, using a computer to commit a crime and allegedly embezzling more than $60,000 from his employer, a sitting Circuit Court judge.
Allen was employed as a judicial assistant serving a judge in the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County from 2018 to 2022. During these years it is alleged he illegally obtained an ATM card associated with the judge’s accounts, wrongfully made withdrawals and purchases, and forged checks presented to the victim to conceal his thefts. The victim became aware of the missing funds when notified of delinquent taxes on a secondary property, despite Allen presenting them with checks made to look like they were sent to satisfy the tax.
He has been charged with one count of each:
- Embezzlement, $50,000-$100,000, a 15-year felony,
- Using a computer to commit a crime, a 10-year felony,
- Forgery of bank bills/promissory notes, a 7-year felony, and
- Stealing or retaining without consent a financial transaction device, a 4-year felony.
“Everyone should exercise extreme caution in who you permit to access your financial accounts,” Nessel said. “Even judges are not immune to theft, embezzlement and fraud perpetrated against them by those they trust the most. Truly anyone can fall victim to financial exploitation crimes.”
Allen will appear before Judge Patricia Jefferson in the 36th District Court in Wayne County for a probable cause conference on January 29. A preliminary examination has been scheduled for February 5.
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