HAMTRAMCK – Following his placement on temporary administrative leave by unanimous vote of the Hamtramck City Council on May 27, City Manager Max Garbarino fulfilled his earlier warning by filing a lawsuit on Monday against Hamtramck and its City Council. The lawsuit, submitted to Wayne County Circuit Court, includes 256 allegations of corruption, mismanagement, cover-ups, obstruction of investigations, retaliation against whistleblowers, breach of contract, violations of the Open Meetings Act and unlawful retaliation.

The lawsuit includes 256 allegations — from corruption and cover-ups to retaliation and illegal appointments. — Excerpt from the legal complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court

The complaint was filed jointly with Officer David Adamszyk of the Hamtramck Police Department, who claimed he was also placed on leave in retaliation after revealing serious misconduct by city officials. Garbarino had previously placed Adamszyk on paid administrative leave on May 21, the same day Yemeni American Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri was suspended amid allegations of corruption, abuse of authority and domestic violence.

Lawsuit details that Altaheri reportedly crashed a police vehicle into a curb while drunk

According to the 74-page complaint filed by attorney John Marco, Garbarino and Adamszyk accuse Chief Altaheri of orchestrating a conspiracy to secure a presidential pardon for a convicted businessman in exchange for a payment ranging from $1 million to $5 million. The money was allegedly to be funneled to President Trump through a middleman named Mark Zarkin, with Altaheri reportedly seeking a 10 percent commission.

The suit also alleges that Altaheri instructed a civilian city employee to issue a fraudulent police ID for Zarkin under the title “general manager” in return for money, despite Zarkin holding no official position in the Hamtramck Police Department. The ID was allegedly intended to facilitate access to Trump.

Additionally, the complaint names an individual known only as “Ralph”, an acquaintance of Altaheri in New York, who had reported a stolen Mercedes-Benz that was illegally transported to Dearborn following a private sale in New York. Ralph and another individual, Ibrahim Aljahim, allegedly planned to move the vehicle to Altaheri’s house in Livonia. According to the suit, Altaheri asked Adamszyk to assist with transporting the vehicle “no questions asked”, but Adamszyk instead notified an NYPD investigator that the car was in Altaheri’s possession. This led, the suit claims, to Altaheri retaliating by fabricating charges against Garbarino.

Garbarino described the scale of the election fraud in Hamtramck as “catastrophic” in a letter to Attorney General Dana Nessel.

The suit further alleges that Altaheri attempted to bribe a towing company owner through Adamszyk, soliciting $40,000 to $50,000 in sponsorship for a podcast and other ventures, and proposing to be listed as a “sales consultant” with a share in profits. When Adamszyk declined to meet privately with the company owner in March due to discomfort, tensions escalated.

In another incident, Altaheri allegedly told Garbarino that officer Justin Rankin was falsifying his time cards, prompting Garbarino to terminate Rankin. Days later, however, Altaheri allegedly took Rankin and other officers to a strip club, and drove them home while intoxicated in a city vehicle, ignoring traffic signals with emergency lights flashing. The lawsuit claims Rankin blackmailed Altaheri with a video of the incident.

In a separate episode, Altaheri reportedly crashed a police vehicle into a curb while drunk, damaging a tire. Instead of reporting the incident, he allegedly called two officers to replace the tire. Both officers reported that Altaheri appeared to be heavily intoxicated.

Election interference and whistleblower retaliation

The suit also claims Altaheri attempted to influence local elections by pressuring City Council members to fire Garbarino in retaliation for exposing alleged election fraud. Adamszyk alleges Altaheri possessed sensitive information about a Councilman’s relative involved in home invasions and property deed fraud. He also allegedly encouraged a relative of his wife who resides in Dearborn to cause chaos during City Council meetings and publicly attack Garbarino.

In response, Garbarino instructed Adamszyk to report the incidents to the FBI and/or the Michigan State Police and used his authority according to the City Charter to suspend Altaheri on May 21, based on employee complaints about Altaheri’s “erratic behavior” and threats against fellow officers.

To protect Adamszyk from retaliation, Garbarino also placed him on administrative leave and hired an outside firm to investigate the matter, according to the complaint.

However, matters escalated on May 27, when the City Council voted unanimously to place Garbarino on administrative leave with pay, confiscate his computer and cell phone and deny him access to city servers and data systems pending the completion of the investigation.

“Some have suggested that the racial background of the police chief should influence my administrative decisions,” Garbarino said during the meeting, where several residents publicly called for Altaheri to be reinstated. “I refuse to ignore misconduct simply because someone belongs to a certain ethnic group. I believe this stance has made me a target of racial discrimination.”

Election fraud allegations

The complaint references Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj, who allegedly noticed irregularities in mail-in ballot envelopes — similar handwriting and large quantities submitted simultaneously. When she reported this to Garbarino, he forwarded the matter to then-Police Chief Anne Moise, who opened a case. In early 2024, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office agreed to investigate and assigned a special investigator, though no charges were filed in six months.

During that period, Garbarino claims six City Council members repeatedly pressured him to fire Faraj. In March, he sent a letter to Attorney General Dana Nessel, describing the scale of the fraud as “catastrophic”, citing surveillance footage of people mass-dropping absentee ballots into collection boxes.

He also alleges that Councilman Mohammed Hassan later stormed his office and attempted to pressure him to dismiss Faraj. She had previously said some Council members intimidated her during meetings, warning, “We’re watching you.”

The complaint also claims that some council members do not reside in Hamtramck as the City Charter requires, a rumor that has circulated for years.

City Council forced Altaheri’s appointment

Garbarino further alleges that the City Council used discriminatory pressure to compel him to appoint Altaheri as police chief after refusing to approve any other candidates. Over time, a close relationship developed between Altaheri and Adamszyk, who became his direct subordinate. Garbarino claims he repeatedly warned Altaheri to maintain professional boundaries, which were allegedly crossed by early this year.

As their relationship soured, Altaheri accused Adamszyk of insubordination, charges Garbarino called baseless, noting that Adamszyk had a clean record and had been honored as “Officer of the Year” on March 1 by Altaheri himself — showing, Garbarino argues, Altaheri’s inconsistencies and fabrications.

From day one, my message was clear — I invite the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police and FBI to investigate these baseless accusations. — Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri

Reactions

Mayor Amer Ghalib stated that a comprehensive investigation is underway into the mutual allegations between Garbarino, Adamszyk and Altaheri. He emphasized that all three officials have been placed on paid administrative leave and “Whoever is found innocent will return to work.”

Ghalib downplayed the lawsuit.

“Our city gets sued all the time, often for meaningless reasons. So at this point, this lawsuit means nothing. We’re waiting for the results of the investigations to determine the merits of each case.”

Meanwhile, Altaheri issued a statement calling the accusations against him “False and fabricated.”

“From day one, my message was clear — I invite the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police and FBI to investigate these baseless accusations and expose those behind these made-up stories.”