Monica Conyers (U.S. Marshals)
The wife of House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) cannot afford an attorney and will get a public defender to handle her appeal of a 37-month prison sentence stemming from a bribery charge, The Associated Press reported.
Last week, former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for her part in the bribery scandal. She pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy for accepting at least $6,000 in exchange for her support of a $1.2 billion waste disposal contract for Houston-based Synagro Technologies. The ex-council member tried to withdraw her guilty plea last week saying she was “badgered” into making the deal. But U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn said her plea was made voluntarily.
Monica Conyers, who signed an affidavit declaring she can’t afford a lawyer, has no money, according to Steve Fishman, the attorney who negotiated her guilty plea, according to AP. A federal judge on Tuesday declared Monica Conyers indigent based on “a detailed description of her financial resources in the presentence investigation report and [the information] that Mrs. Conyers was on her own — so to speak — as to such resources.”
John Conyers (gov)
That means her husband — the second-longest serving current member of the House who earns an annual salary of $174,000 — will not help pay for a private attorney, according to The National Law Journal. A spokeswoman for Conyers did not have an immediate response as to whether the Judiciary Committee chairman was unwilling to pay for an attorney, Politico reported.
According to federal guidelines, a family member’s wealth, in this case the congressman, cannot be considered when determining a defendant’s ability to pay, “unless the family indicates willingness and financial ability to retain counsel promptly.”
Douglas Mullkoff of Ann Arbor has been assigned to represent Monica Conyers.
