Guest editorial: Economic Justice Unit helps Washtenaw residents recover money
Guest editorials are by local leaders or experts with specific knowledge of a topic and may contain opinions. Views expressed in any editorial are always exclusively those of the author.
by Eli Savit, Washtenaw County Prosecutor
Economic harm is a major issue in the United States — and one that harms countless Michiganders. Take, for example, wage theft: Wage theft is when employers steal money, labor, time, or opportunities from workers. According to one report, Michigan employees lose $429 million a year to minimum wage violations alone. A simpler way to put this is that employers violated the law to put more money into their own pockets — to the tune of almost half a billion dollars in our state. In fact, the total value of wage theft in the United States ($15 billion) is more than the total value of all property crimes in the United States ($12.7 billion) — more than every robbery, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft combined.
Consumer scams, too, are on the rise. These include romance scams, check cashing scams, employment scams, and law enforcement impersonator scams. Frequently, these scams target elderly or vulnerable members of our community.
Romance scams are when a person impersonates someone else or takes on a fake identity to gain the affection and trust of someone else. They use the illusion of romance or closeness to manipulate the other person into giving them money. Check cashing scams involve an individual cashing in an illegitimate check and sending the proceeds to the scammer — thus making the victim responsible for the stolen money. Employment scams can seriously impact those trying to find jobs because scammers will pose as employers but take the vulnerable people’s money and personal information. Sometimes scammers will even go so far as to impersonate law enforcement and government officials in an effort to extort money and personal information.
Once economic crime occurs, those who were victimized are left to pick up the pieces. Far too often, however, victims of economic harm do not know where to turn. That is why, in December of 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office launched the Economic Justice Unit (EJU). That new unit is specifically charged with holding accountable those who commit economic harm — and recovering money for Washtenaw residents. Through civil or criminal litigation or through informal resolution, the EJU seeks to address scams, economic theft, and labor trafficking that harms Washtenaw County residents. Fundamentally, it aims to protect people from a category of wrongdoing that has been all too infrequently enforced.
To be clear: The Prosecutor’s Office remains laser-focused on prosecuting crime that causes harm, including crimes of violence, sexual assault, and property crimes. And indeed, because the EJU is initially being funded through an external grant, we have been able to broaden our focus to economic crime without reallocating any prosecutorial resources.
But make no mistake: Economic harm is real harm, and it must be addressed. Few would say that it is not worth pursuing justice on behalf of those who have been the victim of theft via pickpocketing or a car break-in. The same is true for economic harm. Theft is theft, whether it is perpetuated via a pickpocket, a burglar, a scam artist, or an employer who intentionally denies workers the wages that they’ve earned. In all of these situations, innocent victims have been robbed of money that they are entitled to use to support themselves and their families. And however harm occurs, our office is committed to seeking justice.
Simply put, the EJU is committed to using every tool in the Prosecutor’s toolbox to address economic harm. The unit has already achieved some major successes. Among other victories, we have put an end to a wage-theft scheme; successfully addressed dilapidated housing conditions in which refugees were being forced to live; and uncovered (and addressed) a cross-state scam targeting elderly Washtenaw residents.
Washtenaw residents should know, then, that there is somewhere to turn if you are the victim of economic harm. Of course, we can only take action if the law allows. But we have a variety of legal tools at our disposal. We also know that many residents fear retaliation if they report economic abuse. Rest assured: Our unit will work to protect you on that front. Indeed, we can (and have) successfully recovered money for victims without ever disclosing their identity.
As County Prosecutor, my job is to pursue justice when people are harmed. Economic harm is real harm. And our new unit will help ensure that economic harm — which too frequently flies below the radar — is fully and robustly addressed.
To contact the Economic Justice Unit, email economicjustice@washtenaw.org, call (734) 222-6620, or tell us about economic harm using this form: https://www.washtenaw.org/3496/Tell-us-about-Economic-Harm. You can learn more about economic harm and how we can address it at https://www.washtenaw.org/3487/Economic-Justice-Unit.
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