Dan Pero Says Hathaway "Belongs" In Prison

LANSING, Mich., May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, who resigned after pleading guilty to defrauding her bank of $600,000 in an elaborate real estate swindle, was sentenced today to one year plus one day in prison and ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution.    

The following statement is by Dan Pero, President of American Justice Partnership and a former member of the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC), who filed the initial formal complaint against Hathaway with the JTC:  

"Diane Hathaway was a crook who used her robes instead of a gun to rob a bank of tens of thousands of dollars.  She then blatantly and repeatedly lied about her actions to deceive investigators and cling to power.  She is now going to jail and that's where she belongs. 

"Hathaway's true offense was not confined to merely stealing from her bank, but includes embarrassing the state's highest Court and diminishing public respect for the law's most important officers.  Even after admitting to her crimes, she has never apologized to the people of Michigan or her colleagues on the Court.  Frankly, I think she deserved the maximum 18-month sentence recommended by prosecutors. 

"Many thanks to the Judicial Tenure Commission for their exhaustive investigation which forced Hathaway to resign her seat on the Michigan Supreme Court and to federal prosecutors for their zealous efforts on behalf of the people of Michigan." 

SOURCE American Justice Partnership