Mark Craighead claims the attorney general wants to control the nonprofit because he received funds from the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act.
Mark Craighead, who served seven years in prison for a crime he did not commit, is accusing the Michigan Attorney General’s office of retaliation for attempting to seize the assets of his nonprofit, according to the Detroit Metro Times.
In a case filed by Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office, the office seeks to seize control of Craighead’s nonprofit, the Safe Place Transition Center, claiming that he is misusing funds. The business owner claims the move is retaliation because he received the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act (WICA) in 2023, which was established by state lawmakers to help wrongfully convicted people reclaim their lives.
As a result, Craighead received $360,000. He claims he used his own money to help launch the nonprofit, repair properties, and pay off necessary expenses such as gas. Craighead calls the accusations against him “baseless,” and claims the nonprofit reimbursed him. “Everything that came out of Safe Place, it came from me first,” according to Craighead.
“I was eventually paid back. “The board approved the money for me.”
The successful nonprofit provides housing assistance to formerly incarcerated residents and veterans, and it owns several properties that rent for below-market rates to those in need. In addition to housing, Craighead and his team distribute food to nearly 200 low-income people in Mount Clemens twice a month.
However, Nessel’s office stated that the case stems from a 2020 complaint filed by another individual, who claimed the former inmate “pocketed over $200,000 from money intended to help needy individuals in the community.” After the state launched an investigation, it was discovered that Safe Place and Craighead failed to provide the required legal information, prompting the AG to attempt to seize the group’s assets.
Kimberly Bush, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, denied Craighead’s claims that the unit handling Safe Place’s case is the office’s Charitable Trust Unit, which is separate from the WICA unit.
Craighead insists that he has done nothing wrong. Since his previous encounter with law enforcement resulted in a false confession and wrongful conviction, he is determined not to let it happen again, labeling the system “corrupt.” “They did whatever they wanted in the past,” Craighead explained.
“I will not let this happen again. “It is a corrupt system.”
This is one of two conflicts that the nonprofit owner is dealing with. According to Fox 2 Detroit, Craighead and Lamar Monson, who was also wrongfully convicted, protested outside the Detroit Police Department, calling for an investigation into retired detective Barbara Simon’s work.
As part of the “Freedom Ain’t Free” movement, the men accuse the former detective of perjury, illegally detaining suspects, and coercing them — along with two others — into false confessions.
