Judge rules on whether Chatfields can go on Kentucky Derby trip amid arraignment

East Lansing — An Ingham County judge decided Tuesday that former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife, Stephanie Chatfield, can go on a trip to Kentucky, where they will apparently attend the Kentucky Derby, ahead of their scheduled Thursday arraignment on embezzlement charges.

During a hearing that occurred over Zoom with no one, including Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt, physically present in the courtroom in East Lansing, Greenwalt granted a request from the Chatfields' lawyers for the couple to be able to travel to Kentucky Wednesday and return to Michigan Monday.

Their arraignment, which will also take place over Zoom, is scheduled for Thursday while the Chatfields will be in Kentucky.

"The court is satisfied that it understands the purpose of this travel and the location,” Greenwalt said.

Mary Chartier, Lee Chatfield's lawyer, said the former speaker will "likely" attend the Kentucky Derby horse race on Saturday and the trip partially relates to his "consulting business," a business Chartier didn't identify.

Two weeks ago, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel unveiled a series of criminal charges against the Chatfields, saying Lee Chatfield had flagrantly misused nonprofit dollars to pay off his personal credit card and fund purchases at wineries and luxury retail stores while he was the House speaker.

Some of the spending was related to trips to the Bahamas and Florida, Nessel said.

The nonprofit that the Chatfields allegedly embezzled money from was named the Peninsula Fund. It reported to the Internal Revenue Service spending $142,266 on travel and entertainment for public officials in 2020, Lee Chatfield's final year as the House speaker.

A Republican from Levering, Lee Chatfield served two years in the top position in the House before leaving office because of term limits. Chartier has denied that Lee Chatfield did anything illegal and has vowed to fight the charges.

Judges usually place restrictions on defendants' out-of-state travel at their arraignment. Often, judges grant exceptions to those restrictions upon request.

Chartier described the Kentucky trip as both business and recreational for the Chatfields and said it was planned by them months before the charges were announced.

“Just because people have a complaint issued against them doesn’t mean that they can’t go on a little weekend trip and that they can't go on a getaway with their wife,” Chartier said.

However, during Tuesday's hearing, William Rollstin, an assistant attorney general, said it was important for the court to treat the Chatfields like other defendants and requested more details about the trip.

"Just say what it is," Rollstin said of the reason for the trip to Louisville.

At one point, Rollstin asked specifically if they were going to the Kentucky Derby.

"My guess is that they will enjoy meals out," Chartier said. "My guess is they might go walk around town. I imagine that they likely will go to the Kentucky Derby."

cmauger@detroitnews.com