Chatfield embezzlement trial adjourned indefinitely; witness admission headed to Court of Appeals

Lee Chatfield's embezzlement trial, set to begin Tuesday, was adjourned indefinitely after his attorneys won a stay to challenge forensic accountant Michelle Gallagher's qualification as an expert witness. The dispute now goes to the Michigan Court of Appeals, with no timeline for a ruling. Chatfield faces 13 felony charges including embezzlement from his nonprofit, the Peninsula Fund, in a case originally filed in 2024.

Gallagher had testified that 99% of over $150,000 in charges on the Chatfields' personal credit cards from January 2020 to April 2021 was reimbursed by the Peninsula Fund. Chatfield's attorney challenged her methodology, including her classification of car washes as personal expenses, arguing she reviewed policy in isolation rather than in context.

Judge Morgan Cole said she had no choice but to grant the stay since the motion was not frivolous, calling it a case that will 'take priority' once it returns. Attorney General Dana Nessel, who leaves office in December, blasted the delay as 'a shameful disservice,' warning her successor could simply dismiss the charges.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.