A former Wayne County roads division employee was sentenced to 1½ years in prison after federal prosecutors said he conspired to defraud the county out of more than $2.3 million in a scheme involving generators and power equipment.
John Gibson, 55, of Detroit, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program in July, according to a plea agreement.
Cyril Hall, one of Gibson’s attorneys, said they were “disheartened with the amount of time he received in this matter.” Hall said Gibson is married, has no criminal history and has never violated the law. He said he believes justice could have been served without Gibson being detained.
“It’s gonna be very painful for him and his family,” Hall said, adding this also will impact Gibson’s pension. He said Gibson worked for the county for 20 years.
Hall said Gibson will self-surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons once it determines where Gibson will be housed.
Gibson and former county employee Kevin Gunn were accused of using tax dollars to make unauthorized purchases of generators and other power equipment from retailers in southeast Michigan, which they then sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal profit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release.