Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday announced 16 felony charges against Fay Beydoun, 62, of Farmington Hills, for the alleged theft of funds and fraudulent administration of a $20 million state legislative grant awarded to Global Link International, a company created and controlled by Beydoun.

According to the AG, Beydoun allegedly used appropriated funds for her own personal use and enrichment, repeatedly lied to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) about expenses contrary to the purpose of the grant and activities of the business accelerator, and did each of these to further a criminal enterprise for her own financial gain.

Beydoun has been charged in the 47th District Court in Farmington Hills. The Attorney General’s investigation into Global Link International’s funding and administration remains ongoing.

“Today, we allege Fay Beydoun sought and received a $20 million ‘Michigan enhancement grant’ from the state Legislature, operated a criminal enterprise to use those funds for personal expenses and her own enrichment, and lied repeatedly when reporting how she used those funds,” said Attorney General Nessel.

“The process by which this ‘grant’ was proposed, developed, awarded, and administered bears practically zero semblance to the traditional grant process, and was only made possible through a system that pairs political cronyism with minimal oversight.”

“Since the enactment of the Global Link grant, some significant reforms have been enacted by the Legislature,” continued Nessel.

“These reforms are meaningful, but with millions of dollars in public funding at hand, the State and each of its agencies must do more to prevent abuses of state funds and to require responsible administration of enhancement grants — regardless of whether their recipients enjoy positions of power, privilege, and political connections.”

Beydoun has been charged with the following:

One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony;

Seven counts of Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony;
One count of Forgery, a 14-year felony;

One count of Larceny by Conversion, more than $20,000, a 10-year felony; and

Six counts of Larceny by Conversion, $1,000 to $20,000, a 5-year felony.

Vincent Haisha, a partner at Flood Law, which represents Beydoun, shared the following statement:

“For the last six months, our firm has attempted to demonstrate the illogical nature of the allegations against Ms. Beydoun to the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Despite those efforts, it is evident that certain parties felt the need to further this very public spectacle in a way that is neither supported by the evidence that we have seen nor the investigative materials we possess. As always, we will save our best arguments for the court room and pursue every avenue available for our client.”

Beydoun secured a “Michigan enhancement grant” within Public Act 166 of 2022, a law to generally fund the State of Michigan in Fiscal Year 2023, to establish and operate a global business accelerator in Oakland County. The grant was to be administered by the MEDC. At the time she secured the grant, Beydoun served on the MEDC Executive Committee. It is alleged that no business relocated to Michigan through Global Link International efforts. Instead, Beydoun is accused of using the funds for personal gain and maintaining a $550,000 annual salary.

It is alleged that Beydoun:

Forged an invoice from a law firm, produced that false record to the MEDC for purposes of grant administration, misrepresented the expense to the MEDC, and expended funds in association with that invoice on personal legal expenses not related to the purpose of Global Link International’s state funding;

Presented a false description of a $40,800 lease to the MEDC;

Fraudulently presented a French-language receipt for the purchase of two handmade Tunisian rugs, at a cost of more than $6,000, to the MEDC as representing funds paid to host an investors event abroad;

Fraudulently presented to the MEDC that catering costs between $1,000 and $2,000 incurred on two separate occasions in 2023 were in support of Global Link events or to host focus groups, when in each instance the costs were incurred by Beydoun personally to host two separate dinners associated with then-Mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan at her home in Farmington Hills;

Used grant funds for two separate personal expenses, one totaling more than $5,000 to Royce Lighting for furniture and home decor and another to an Ace Hardware store for patio and gardening supplies totaling more than $1,400; and
Submitted materially false reports to the MEDC to forestall grant termination and continue drawing her salary.

The Department of Attorney General opened an investigation into the Global Link International legislative grant in 2024. The state grant to Global Link International was terminated by the MEDC on March 18th, 2025, following reports of financial irregularities. In September 2025, the Department of Attorney General froze more than $6.3 million in grant funds held in bank accounts connected to Beydoun.

The sworn affidavit in support of the criminal charges filed against Beydoun is linked below.

An arraignment date has not yet been set.

Stacey LaRouche, press secretary for the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, issued the following statement:

“Anyone who receives taxpayer dollars must follow the law and use those resources appropriately. If that does not happen and someone defrauds the state, they must be held accountable under the law,” LaRouche said in a statement to News 10. “This was a grant sponsored by Republican Speaker of the House Jason Wentworth, and the second time a grant of his has resulted in charges. Attorney General Nessel is working to bring justice and she is helping the state recover taxpayer dollars. The budget recommendation does not include these types of legislative enhancement grants because they are not a good use of taxpayer dollars. The legislature needs to continue to work to improve their appropriations process to ensure that every penny of taxpayer dollars spent is used appropriately.”