Ann Zaniewski

Detroit Free Press

A judge entered a not guilty plea for Michigan Sen. Bert Johnson during his arraignment today on charges that he paid a ghost employee $23,000 in taxpayer funds, allegations his attorney says are false.

The 43-year-old Highland Park Democrat stood mute to charges of conspiracy and theft from a federal program during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court in Detroit. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

"We recognize the government's efforts to make sure politicians are above reproach. ... We just wish that they would have given us the opportunity to speak before he was indicted," defense attorney Cyril Hall told reporters. "I would have said (he is) not guilty."

Magistrate Judge David Grand released Johnson on a $10,000 unsecured bond. He also ordered him to surrender his passport.

Hall waived a formal reading of the indictment.

According to the indictment, Johnson asked a cooperating witness for a $10,000 loan in October 2013 and later sought to repay the loan by unlawfully placing the woman on his Senate payroll.

The Free Press has identified the FBI cooperating witness who allegedly loaned the money to Johnson, through a person familiar with the investigation, as Glynis Thornton. Thornton is a Detroit Public Schools vendor who earlier pleaded guilty to paying kickbacks to a Detroit school principal in an earlier major corruption investigation of DPS and the Education Achievement Authority, the state's reform district for the lowest-performing schools.

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Thornton repeatedly sought repayment of the loan between October 2012 and March 2014, without success, the indictment says. It also says she was hired as a "community liaison" in March 2014.

Hall told reporters that Johnson "didn't have anything to do with" the school corruption case.

In a court filing, Johnson initially qualified for a court-appointed attorney. But Hall said today that he has been retained by Johnson. At least one other attorney, Amir Makled, is also on the case.

Johnson, wearing a dark blue suit jacket and blue tie, gave brief answers when the judge asked a series of questions, including whether the understood the charges. He didn't speak to reporters afterward.

Conspiracy to commit theft of a federally funded program carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Theft of a federally funded program is a 10-year felony, with the same potential fine.

The arraignment comes about three weeks after FBI agents, assisted by the Michigan State Police, raided Johnson's Senate office in Lansing and Highland Park home, hauling away large volumes of records. Soon after, Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman.

Staff writer Tresa Baldas contributed to this report.

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter.