State lawmaker rejects deal in case alleging no-show worker

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan lawmaker charged with putting a no-show employee on his state payroll has turned down a plea deal and will go to trial.

Sen. Bert Johnson, a Democrat from Highland Park, is accused of repaying $14,000 in loans by putting Glynis Thornton on the payroll in 2014. The government says she did no work for $23,000.

Johnson denies the theft charge. He appeared in court Tuesday and told a judge that he rejected a plea deal that carried up to a year in prison.

Jury selection starts March 12 in Detroit federal court.

Thornton cooperated with investigators after getting caught in a separate corruption case involving bribes for a Detroit school principal.

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