Rick Johnson Released Early After Cannabis Bribery Scandal

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September 16 2025

Former GOP Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson has been released from federal prison more than 16 months ahead of schedule and is the latest felon freed early after a broad crackdown on public corruption in the state.

Federal Bureau of Prisons records show Johnson, a Republican from LeRoy, was transferred recently from a medium-security federal prison in Colorado to a halfway house in what amounts to one of the biggest breaks issued to a public official convicted of bribery, racketeering or other corruption-related crimes in recent years. He was not supposed to be freed until January 2027, but wardens have the discretion to release prisoners ahead of schedule.

Bureau of Prisons officials would not explain why Johnson, the former chairman of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board from May 2017 to April 2019, was released in recent days from a federal correctional institution in Florence, Colorado, about 110 miles south of Denver. But the 72-year-old convict, who served as House speaker from 2001-04, cited several health problems when he repeatedly tried to delay, ease and prematurely end punishment for his role in the largest public corruption scandal in Michigan's capital in 30 years.

In all, Johnson served approximately 21 months of a 55-month sentence for rigging the state's marijuana industry and receiving more than $110,000 in bribes that included money and repeated trysts with a sex worker who called him "Batman."

The early releases raise questions about what impact lighter punishment could have on deterring politicians and others from committing crimes while in office and on the FBI and Detroit U.S. Attorney’s Office's willingness to prosecute corruption.

“I understand that the Bureau of Prisons is applying the law in releasing Johnson early, but, in this instance, it sure doesn’t feel good,” former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, whose office prosecuted Johnson and who is running for Michigan Attorney General, told The Detroit News on Monday. “Johnson’s brazen corruption tainted an industry, it lined his pockets and it threatened the rule of law. We have to take public corruption very seriously. It is poisonous to our democracy.”

Johnson's release follows a string of high-profile breaks granted to corrupt public officials in recent years, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith, Fiat Chrysler Vice President Alphons Iacobelli and leaders of the United Auto Workers union. Those include former UAW Presidents Gary Jones and Dennis Williams, who served a fraction of their prison sentences for corrupting one of the nation’s most powerful and influential unions.

In several cases, the sentence reductions were greater than what inmates otherwise receive. Inmates can receive credits for good behavior in prison and through the First Step Act, a federal law that considers several factors, including an inmate's age, general health and lack of a prior criminal record. Inmates with good conduct in prison can cut 54 days off for each year of their sentence, be sent to halfway houses six months early and receive credit for time spent in custody before being sentenced.

Inmates must serve a significant part of their sentence before being eligible for those types of sentence reductions, said defense lawyer Anjali Prasad, a former federal prosecutor and owner of Prasad Legal in Bloomfield Hills.

“My experience is most people are panicked by even one day in federal prison, let alone two-thirds of their sentence, so no, I don’t think these kind of early release programs move the dial in any significant direction when it comes to deterring others from committing public corruption," Prasad said.

Source Federal Bureau of Prisons

‘Not enough deterrent'

Federal judges, meanwhile, are allowed to reduce an inmate’s sentence and grant compassionate release based on “extraordinary and compelling reasons" after wardens have rejected or ignored requests.

“Our office had no role in the apparent decision by BOP to release Mr. Johnson," said Jamie Calouette, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Grand Rapids. "You will need to go to BOP for an explanation on that."

A Bureau of Prisons spokesman declined to comment, and Johnson did not respond Monday to messages seeking comment.

“I am very concerned that there is not enough deterrent in terms of holding corrupt politicians accountable,” Totten said. “I think 55 months was a just punishment for someone who did was Rick Johnson did.”

Johnson and three others were convicted in the scandal: marijuana industry lobbyist Vince Brown, Oakland County businessman John Dawood Dalaly and Lansing lobbyist Brian Pierce. Johnson was the last person in prison linked to the scandal.

Johnson's location is unclear. He is listed in federal prison records as being released to a halfway house in Detroit, but that designation also covers inmates released on home confinement.

One place Johnson isn't living is at his hunting property in northern Michigan. One year ago, a judge allowed federal agents to seize Johnson's 40-acre property in LeRoy, 15 miles south of Cadillac, because Johnson had failed to pay a $110,200 money judgment stemming from the scandal.

Johnson's prior failed release efforts

Johnson was released after several failed attempts to be released on compassionate grounds or to avoid prison altogether.

In October, U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering said Johnson failed to justify why he deserved to leave a minimum-security federal prison camp Minnesota after serving less than 11 months.

At the time, Johnson argued he should be released from the federal prison camp in Duluth because he was suffering from various health problems but Beckering disagreed.

"To the contrary, Johnson’s medical records from his period of incarceration to date indicate that he is receiving substantial monitoring and care for his different pulmonary, cardiac, and gastrointestinal conditions and that his health is stabilizing," she wrote.