Former Michigan township treasurer pleads guilty to bank fraud

The former treasurer for Ionia Township, Michigan, has pleaded guilty after facing charges for alleged bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Marilyn Ethel Harp, 74, of Ionia, was charged with bank fraud on June 30. She is due back in court for sentencing on Dec. 3 and faces up to 30 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say that Harp, who served as treasurer between 1984 and 2025, diverted more than $747,000 for personal use between 2014 and 2025. Harp was responsible for collecting property taxes from residents and depositing the funds into the township's bank accounts to support public services, officials say.

Federal prosecutors say Harp appeared in court on Aug. 6 and admitted to fraud. She has agreed to forfeit $647,688 that was seized during the investigation.

"As a corrupt public official who was stealing public funds, Marilyn Harp deserved to be charged with the most serious crime available. Harp's crime is worse than that, though," said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey. "The money she stole from her neighbors was intended to fund her community's school system. For over ten years she took this money from the people in her community and spent it on a vacation home and other luxuries that were out of reach for many of her neighbors. I look forward to telling Judge Jarbou all about this at the sentencing hearing."