HAMTARMCK — Two days after the release of an independent investigation into allegations of corruption, abuse of power and official misconduct involving three city officials, the Hamtramck City Council voted on Tuesday evening — by a majority of five of its seven members — to terminate City Manager Max Garbarino. At the same time, for procedural reasons, the Council referred the decision on firing Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri and police officer David Adamczyk to Acting City Manager Syed Aamir Ahsan.

What the independent investigation found

The independent probe — conducted by the law firm Miller Johnson — runs 59 pages. It concludes that Altaheri and Adamczyk, who have been on leave since late May, committed violations warranting corrective measures up to and including termination. The report also criticizes Garbarino — himself placed on administrative leave — for being slow to suspend the two officers after learning of their alleged misconduct. At the same time, the report warns the city not to rush into firing all three officials, noting the risk of potential lawsuits, particularly since Altaheri and Adamczyk are employed under union contracts.

In late May, the Council had unanimously voted to suspend Garbarino, days after he placed Altaheri on administrative leave amid allegations of corruption, domestic violence and abuse of power. Those allegations originated from an anonymous memo sent to the Michigan State Police — later revealed to have been authored by Adamczyk — after which Garbarino placed Adamczyk on paid administrative leave as well.

Public comments, then the vote

Before Tuesday’s vote, the Council heard a round of public comments. Most speakers called for reinstating Garbarino to his position and for firing all officials implicated in corruption or abuse of power — including Council members Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman, who face allegations of fraud and election forgery in both the primary and general rounds of the 2023 City Council elections.

After more than an hour in closed session, Mayor Amer Ghalib explained that while the Council does have the authority to fire the city manager, it does not have the authority to discipline or terminate department heads or other employees. That authority belongs exclusively to the city manager, hence the Council’s decision to refer the proposed terminations of Altaheri and Adamczyk to Acting City Manager Syed Aamir Ahsan.

City attorney’s guidance and legal posture

City Attorney Odey Meroueh stated that Altaheri and Adamczyk will be terminated.

“Unfortunately, based on the evidence presented and the conclusions reached in the Miller Johnson report, we must terminate Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri,” Meroueh said. “We will also take the necessary action regarding Officer David Adamczyk, whose employment contract includes a clause requiring a 10-day notice prior to termination.”

Tuesday’s vote is the latest development touching three separate alleged corruption matters in Hamtramck:

1. the fraud and election-forgery allegations against Council members Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman, both of whom attended and voted at the meeting; and

2. the allegations that Council members Muhith Mahmood and Abu Musa lied about their residency when filing to run for public office — despite the charter’s requirement that elected officials reside in Hamtramck.

Inside the Miller Johnson report

The Miller Johnson report states that Altaheri and Adamczyk engaged in “egregious misconduct” requiring sanctions beyond their current administrative leave, consistent with Hamtramck’s procedures. It also faults Garbarino for failing to suspend them immediately upon learning of their misconduct in January, a finding that contradicts Mayor Ghalib’s earlier accusation that Garbarino acted too hastily in suspending Altaheri — a police chief of Yemeni origin who has led the department since early last year.

While recommending discipline for all three officials, the report advises the Council to weigh the consequences — noting Garbarino’s previously filed lawsuit against the city. It warns that terminating Garbarino now could strengthen his claims in litigation, and that firing Altaheri or Adamczyk could prompt similar lawsuits.

In late May, Garbarino sued Hamtramck and its City Council in Wayne County Circuit Court, alleging hundreds of counts that include corruption, mismanagement, cover-ups, breach of contracts, obstruction of investigations, retaliation against whistleblowers and racial discrimination — claiming he faced bias for being White by a Council whose members are all Muslim.

Scope and cost of the probe

According to the firm, investigators collected more than 670,000 documents from hard drives, mobile phones and the city’s network server, conducted about 40 interviews (including Altaheri, Adamczyk and Garbarino), reviewed a large volume of audio and video recordings, and contacted numerous law-enforcement agencies and outside entities to verify and test the allegations’ credibility. People familiar with the matter placed the report’s cost between $350,000 and $500,000.

The report concludes that Adamczyk is the person who reported the allegations about the police chief to the FBI, doing so — according to the investigators — to pressure Altaheri into promoting him to sergeant.

HAMTRAMCK CORRUPTION FALLOUT

Alleged misconduct by Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri

The report lays out several specific allegations against Altaheri:

• He instructed the Police Department’s evidence technician, described as a personal friend, to wipe all data from his city-issued phone.

• He drove a city-issued vehicle while severely intoxicated to and from a strip club on September 14, 2024, accompanied by other officers.

• He activated emergency lights to run red lights and drove recklessly.

• He pressured subordinate officers to assist him in an ongoing child-custody dispute with the mother of his 2-year-old son.

• On one occasion, he handed a loaded handgun to a civilian volunteer and jokingly suggested the person point it at someone else’s head.

The investigation did not confirm or deny allegations that Altaheri assaulted his child’s mother or abused his position to conceal such incidents. It also found no evidence that he solicited money from a local towing company. Additionally, the investigation did not examine separate allegations that Altaheri either covered up a stolen Mercedes or attempted to bribe President Trump to secure a presidential pardon for a wealthy associate in New York.

Alleged misconduct by officer David Adamczyk

As for Adamczyk, the report states that he:

• Secretly recorded fellow officers on video without their knowledge. While not illegal per se, investigators say he used the videos to blackmail both colleagues and Chief Altaheri to advance his own goals, including being promoted to sergeant.

• Claimed overtime pay for hours he did not work — including hours he said he worked with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, where county officials stated he performed no meaningful work.

• Participated in the unlawful recovery of a stolen Mercedes that had been reported stolen in New York.

The report also notes that Altaheri hired Adamczyk in 2024 as a favor to Max Garbarino, who had previously worked with Adamczyk through his private investigations company. The two — Altaheri and Adamczyk — soon became “inseparable friends” and Adamczyk advanced quickly in the department after Altaheri excused him from certain training requirements.

Reactions and statements

After Tuesday’s vote, Altaheri issued a statement asserting he had been treated unjustly:

“My termination is not only unjust to me; it also harms our city. Throughout my tenure as police chief, my priority has always been the safety and well-being of Hamtramck residents.”

Altaheri said he remains committed to defending his reputation through legal avenues, without specifying the precise nature of the actions he intends to pursue.

Amir Makled, attorney for Altaheri, said the Council’s recommendation — though disappointing — was not surprising, particularly given what he described as the environment created by former City Manager Max Garbarino, whom he accused of harassing and retaliating against the police chief.

Attorneys Reno Arabo and Jonathan Marko, representing Garbarino (and Arabo also represents Adamczyk), denounced the firing decision as retaliatory. Arabo called it “shocking” and a “grave mistake”, asserting that Hamtramck residents would ultimately pay the price. Marko argued the report is incomplete, stressing that such employer-commissioned reports carry little weight in court compared with sworn testimony and depositions obtained during litigation.

On Monday, Garbarino criticized the Miller Johnson report as exaggerated, saying he expects the Council to fire him and reinstate Altaheri as part of an effort to cover up criminal charges he claims are pending against Council members Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman for fraud and election forgery:

“I don’t think they will do what’s right. They think that by bringing the police chief back, it will cover for them.”