A Detroit-area mayor has been charged with fraud connected to an application for a COVID-relief grant.
Monique Owens, 39, of Eastpointe was arraigned Thursday on false pretenses. A not guilty plea was entered on her behalf.
She was released on a $10,000 bond and has an April 11 court date.
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The Macomb County prosecutor’s office accuses Owens of fraudulently applying for the COVID-19 grant in November 2020 and getting $10,000 the county received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
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"Obviously, it’s just an allegation. There’s no proof presented that she did anything wrong," Owen's attorney Scott Weinberg said at her arraignment.
Owens was elected in 2019. Her term expires in November.
Eastpointe is an inner ring suburb just northeast of Detroit. Macomb County received $152 million in late April 2020 through the CARES Act, according to the Detroit Free Press.
