Stephanie Chatfield, wife of ex-Michigan House speaker, pleads guilty to felony embezzlement from nonprofit

The wife of former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement from a non-profit organization, the Michigan attorney general's office said. 

Stephanie Chatfield, 38, of Levering, entered her plea on Tuesday at Ingham County 30th Circuit Court. 

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the AG's office said, she will serve a term of probation determined by the court. The other charge that was filed against her in 2024, a count of conspiracy to commit embezzlement from a nonprofit organization, will be dismissed. 

The AG's office said it does not expect restitution to be ordered, as the non-profit organization known as Peninsula Fund is now defunct. 

"Non-profits and 501(c)4 organizations are meant to support the public welfare and wellbeing; they're not a personal slush fund for the politically connected," Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "These are strictly regulated accounts and that regulation relies, in part, on honest operations and truthful financial reporting." 

She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30. 

A former Republican state lawmaker representing northern Michigan, Lee Chatfield, was the state House speaker in 2019 and 2020.