2 City Council members in Michigan charged with election fraud

George Hunter, The Detroit News on Aug 11, 2025

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HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — Two Hamtramck City Council members have been charged with election fraud following a two-month investigation by a special prosecutor, although one of the accused officials called the charges "political games."

In April, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office requested a special prosecutor to explore allegations that council members Mohammed Hassan, Muhtasin Sadman and others who have not been charged conspired to receive unvoted absentee ballots that had been signed by recently naturalized citizens, and then filling in the candidates of their choosing. In June, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan selected the Monroe County prosecutor to explore the accusations.

The investigation was initiated by suspended City Manager Max Garbarino. After Garbarino made the allegations in May, amid a visit by the FBI, he suspended Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri. The City Council, prompted by Mayor Amer Ghalib, in turn suspended Garbarino.

The Monroe County Prosecutor's office Monday signed warrants authorizing multiple felony charges against Hassan and Sadman, including forging a signature on absentee ballot applications, and election law forgery.

Hassan, 57, said the allegations are false.

"There is nothing wrong with anything we did," he said. "It is just political games. That is all. Political games."

Sadman, 26, did not respond to phone calls and emails Monday. Emails and phone calls to the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office, Ghalib and other Hamtramck City Council members were not returned.

Garbarino said of the charges: "I'm glad justice is being served."

A suspended Hamtramck police officer said Tuesday he reported multiple accusations against the city's police chief to the FBI, telling federal authorities he was present during a March meeting in which the chief allegedly discussed bribing President Donald Trump by setting up a multimillion-dollar trust fund in exchange for pardoning a federal inmate.

The controversy — the latest to rock Hamtramck — stems from allegations from Garbarino and Hamtramck Police Officer David Adamczyk, who is also suspended. The allegations include a claim that Garbarino was pressured by a City Council member to remove the city's African American human resources director because there were too many Black people, and that the police chief tried to set up a bribery deal with an associate of President Donald Trump.

Nessel's office investigated four of the six Hamtramck council members before her office requested a special prosecutor take over the case.

Garbarino has sued the council in Wayne County court, claiming retaliation and racial discrimination. In the lawsuit, the former police chief said was suspended because he is White and the other officials involved in the controversy are Yemeni-American.

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