(WWJ) -- Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel is now assisting in a criminal investigation involving former Republican state House Speaker Lee Chatfield.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Nessel said the department is joining local and state police in the investigation but won't comment further "given this remains open and ongoing."
The investigation involves allegations of sexual assault and financial misconduct against Chatfield.
Chatfield's 26-year-old sister-in-law filed a complaint with Lansing police at the end of 2021 alleging he sexually abused her for multiple years, beginning when she was 15, while he was a teacher at her private religious school where he was a teacher and a coach.
She told Bridge the abuse lasted for more than a decade, through the summer of 2021.
Although the legal age of consent in Michigan is 16, it's illegal for an authority figure to have sexual contact with someone who is under 18 if the individual is a student or someone in a similar situation.
Chatfield has denied the claims, saying that their relationship began later and was consensual.
The sister-in-law's lawyer has also levied broad allegations of financial improprieties against Chatfield, but has not not provided many details.
According to an analysis by The Detroit News, political accounts tied to Chatfield directed at least $900,000 in campaign and nonprofit funds to family members, legislative staffers and organizations they led for wages and consulting fees.
