Ervin Brinker (Michigan Attorney General's Office)
A former Michigan official who embezzled $500,000 in public money to pay his personal psychic fortuneteller has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, it was reported Thursday.
Ervin Brinker, 69, had admitted diverting Medicaid funds to a Key West palm reader over an 18-month period in a plea deal with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, according to Fox 17 West Michigan.
Brinker ran an agency in Battle Creek that provided mental health services to needy residents of Calhoun County.
A judge delivered the punishment Wednesday. Brinker must serve 2 years and 8 months before becoming eligible for parole.
As part of the plea deal, Brinker must also pay $1.2 million to cover the cost of the embezzlement and a civil penalty, the station reported.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
