LANSING — A fundraising consultant has been placed on probation and fined for giving a false statement in a “dark money” investigation conducted by Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Sandra Baxter, 65, of Caledonia, was initially charged with perjury, which is a felony, in February 2024 but pleaded guilty in June to knowingly providing a false statement to law enforcement, which is a misdemeanor, Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a Wednesday, Aug. 13 news release.
Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo on Aug. 13 sentenced Baxter to three months of probation, 20 hours of community service, and a $2,500 fine, Nessel said.
Baxter gave a false statement during Nessel’s investigation of the “dark money” financing of the Unlock Michigan campaign of 2020 and 2021, aimed at overturning Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In announcing criminal charges in February 2024, Nessel accused Baxter and another political operative of enabling and lying about a scheme to allow donors to secretly provide financial support to a ballot initiative, where public disclosure of donors was required by law.
Heather Lombardini, a Lansing-area political fundraiser and consultant, still faces multiple criminal charges of violating Michigan campaign finance law by soliciting contributions for the petition drive utilizing two nonprofits tied to former Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, in order to skirt disclosure requirements.
“The Unlock Michigan investigation shed light on corruption in campaign finance that was long considered common practice,” Nessel said in a news release. “Fair elections depend on transparency and honesty, and attempts to skirt the system or mislead law enforcement and the people of Michigan will not be tolerated.”
An attorney for Baxter did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: False statement gets consultant probation in ‘dark money’ probe
Reporting by Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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