LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Fay Beydoun, a businesswoman and longtime donor to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been charged with 16 felonies after allegedly misusing $20 million of the state budget, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Wednesday.
You can see the arraignment in the video below
For years, Beydoun was a fixture in Democratic politics, donating tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats across the state and more than $20,000 to Whitmer’s campaigns. She even hosted a fundraiser for the governor at her home, raising $13,500.
Separately, Whitmer appointed Beydoun to the executive board of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or MEDC, the state’s economic growth arm.
While on the MEDC executive committee, Beydoun secured a "Michigan enhancement grant" in 2022, which was to be administered by the MEDC, to create a global business accelerator in Oakland County, Global Link International.
7 Investigators reported last year that Nessel's office started probing into the $20 million state grant that Beydoun accepted for her own business incubator program.
Watch our previous coverage of Beydoun from August 2025
Raids were conducted at Beydoun's Farmington Hills home and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Headquarters.
Beydoun has been charged with the following:
- One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony
- Seven counts of Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony
- One count of Forgery, a 14-year felony
- One count of Larceny by Conversion, more than $20,000, a 10-year felony
- Six counts of Larceny by Conversion, $1,000 to $20,000, a 5-year felony
The AG alleges that Beydoun forged an invoice from a law firm and used it for grant administration through the MEDC, presented a false description of a lease to the MEDC totaling over $40,000 and used grant funds for personal expenses, including $6,000 worth of rugs, $1000-2000 in catering costs, $5,000 worth of furniture and $1,400 worth of patio and gardening supplies.
“The process by which this ‘grant’ was proposed, developed, awarded, and administered bears practically zero semblance to the traditional grant process, and was only made possible through a system that pairs political cronyism with minimal oversight," Nessel said in a statement. “Since the enactment of the Global Link grant, some significant reforms have been enacted by the Legislature...these reforms are meaningful, but with millions of dollars in public funding at hand, the State and each of its agencies must do more to prevent abuses of state funds and to require responsible administration of enhancement grants — regardless of whether their recipients enjoy positions of power, privilege, and political connections.”
Beydoun was arraigned on the charges on Wednesday and given a $50,000 personal bond.
Below is a statement issued by Vincent Haisha, a partner at Flood Law who is representing Beydoun:
"For the last six months, our firm has attempted to demonstrate the illogical nature of the allegations against Ms. Beydoun to the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Despite those efforts, it is evident that certain parties felt the need to further this very public spectacle in a way that is neither supported by the evidence that we have seen nor the investigative materials we possess. As always, we will save our best arguments for the courtroom and pursue every avenue available for our client."
