Former GOP House Speaker Rick Johnson gets delayed prison date in weed bribery scandal

A federal judge Friday agreed to let former Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson delay surrendering to serve a federal prison sentence for pocketing more than $110,000 in bribes — including repeated trysts with a sex worker who called him "Batman" — because he is recovering from heart bypass surgery.

Johnson, a 70-year-old Republican from LeRoy, was supposed to report to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Duluth, Minnesota, by Oct. 24 to serve a 55-month sentence for rigging the state's marijuana industry in what has grown into the largest public corruption scandal in Michigan’s capital in 30 years.

U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering's order extends Johnson's surrender date to Dec. 2 to give him time to recover from coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Johnson's lawyer, Nicholas Dondzila, made the request Thursday.

"The delayed report date will permit Mr. Johnson the necessary time to recuperate from his complex medical procedure, and for his medical providers to monitor his recovery, treatment, and medications," the lawyer wrote in a court filing.

Prosecutors are not opposed to the delay, the lawyer added.

Johnson underwent the surgery at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City on Oct. 4, less than a week after being sentenced for what the judge called an "unfettered abuse of power." Beckering said Johnson took advantage of his position to collect cash payments for himself, feast on free meals and satisfy his own sexual desires.

Johnson received the bribes from two marijuana-industry lobbyists and an Oakland County businessman while serving as chairman of the the state's medical marijuana licensing board from May 2017 through April 2019. The businessman, John Dawood Dalaly, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison and lobbyists Brian Pierce and Vince Brown are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18.

Sex, a white Lamborghini and 'Batman': Inside the Rick Johnson marijuana bribery scandal

The prison near the north shore of Lake Superior, almost 700 miles northwest of Lansing, houses 411 inmates and been home to several infamous criminals. That includes former New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, who served six months for tax evasion, and influential Republican businessman Stuart Levine, convicted in a broader prosecution that led to the conviction of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Johnson's surgeon, Dr. Brandon Wojcik, recommended the 90-day delay.

“...it would be very difficult to accurately monitor necessary medication changes and to ensure that he can maintain lifting restrictions" without complications, Wojcik wrote.

Johnson is dealing with limited mobility and lifting restrictions, his lawyer added.

"He is reliant on family for all personal needs," Dondzila wrote. "Traveling from Michigan to Minnesota would be challenging, particularly without the attention from his family and medical providers."

rsnell@detroitnews.com

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