Appeals court upholds conviction of ex-Lansing City Council president who embezzled from charity

LANSING — An appeals court has upheld the felony conviction of former Lansing City Council President Harold Leeman, Jr. who was charged with embezzling money from a local charity's concession stand.

An Ingham County jury found Leeman guilty in December 2017 of embezzling between $200 and $1,000 from the Gier Park Community Center Advisory Board. Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk sentenced Leeman, who is now 61 years old, to 18 months probation and ordered him to repay about $1,000. 

Leeman, a former board member, pocketed money that the group would have used to fund community events and scholarships for local children.

LSJ investigation:  For embezzlers in Michigan, little time behind bars, little incentive to pay

Leeman, a member of Lansing City Council from 1996 through 2007, was originally charged with stealing between $1,000 and $20,000 over a five-month period in 2016.

A Gier Park board member raised alarm bells about Leeman's conduct in 2016 after noticing that the group's concession stand profits had dropped from an average of $2,000 annually to roughly $1,000.

Board members also said Leeman had been using a credit card to charge more than his $25 monthly gas allowance.

After being confronted by other board members in 2016, Leeman apologized and agreed to a plan for paying back the money. Leeman failed to make payments before Jan. 1, 2017, however, which prompted board members to contact police.

In his appeal, Leeman argued prosecutors had improperly denigrated his character and misled jurors with emotional appeals.

The Michigan Court of Appeals disagreed. A three-judge panel rejected Leeman's appeal Thursday.

Leeman could not immediately be reached for comment. His 12-year tenure on Lansing City Council included two years as its president in 2006 and 2007.

Noah Defouw, a programmer at the Gier Community Center, declined to comment for this article.

"This was an unfortunate case of embezzlement by an offender against a non-profit agency," Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon, who leads the office that prosecuted Leeman said in a statement. "The case was properly handled at trial and convicted by jury. We will continue to defend this case if it is further appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, although we believe the Court of Appeals ruling should be definitive."

From 2017: Jury finds former Lansing City Council president guilty of embezzlement

Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr. 

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