Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido recently named former Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski to head the county’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU).
Lucido said Chrzanowski will serve in the position of part-time special prosecutor, starting Aug. 31. She succeeds Gail Pamukov, who retired on May 15 after leading the unit since its creation in 2022.
Under Pamukov, Lucido said, the unit established itself as a model of fairness and accountability. It secured a $1.6 million federal grant to expand post-conviction DNA reviews, he added, and achieved the office’s first conviction integrity exoneration.
“I am deeply honored that Prosecutor Lucido has entrusted me with this responsibility,” the former judge in a press release issued by the prosecutor’s office. “The integrity of our criminal justice system depends on public confidence that every conviction is accurate, fair, and supported by the evidence.”
CXhrzanowski she looked forward “to building on the outstanding foundation established by Ms. Pamukov and working to ensure justice is faithfully served.”
Among other things, the Conviction Integrity Unit reviews post-conviction claims of actual innocence, examines newly discovered evidence and works to ensure convictions are both legally sound and factually accurate.
Lucido said the unit reflects his commitment to pursuing justice wherever the evidence leads, holding the guilty accountable while correcting the rare cases where the justice system has failed.
Pamukov praised the appointment, saying Chrzanowski's experience and reputation make her uniquely qualified to continue the unit's mission.
“Mary Chrzanowski is exactly the right person to lead the Conviction Integrity Unit at this time,” Pamukov said. “She has earned the respect of lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and the community through decades of thoughtful, principled decision-making. I know she will lead this unit with integrity. I could not be happier to see the work continue in such capable hands.”
The unit was established as part of a broader effort to strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system while ensuring that justice is done in every case, Lucido said in a news release.
Since its inception, the unit has conducted reviews of post-conviction innocence claims, resulting in the office's first exoneration in 2023.
The grant obtained in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance was one of only four such awards nationwide that year.
The grant increased the office's ability to investigate older cases, locate biological evidence, and use modern forensic science to determine whether DNA testing may establish actual innocence, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“Public safety and justice are not competing values, they are partners,” Lucido said. “When the guilty are convicted and the innocent are protected, confidence in the justice system grows stronger. The Conviction Integrity Unit reflects our commitment to getting every case right, and Judge Chrzanowski will continue that mission with distinction.”
Chrzanowski worked for a period in the early 1990s as an assistant Macomb County prosecutor before serving 24 years on the circuit court bench. She then moved to Florida to serve as a federal administrative law judge.
Several years ago, Chrzanowski was a co-host of a nationally syndicated television show, “Face the Truth.”
In 2014, she was featured on the NBC show “Dateline” in an episode entitled “Scary Mary Presiding’ that focused on her life and work with the Warren and Macomb County Juvenile Drug Courts.
Lucido said Chrzanowski will serve in the position of part-time special prosecutor, starting Aug. 31. She succeeds Gail Pamukov, who retired on May 15 after leading the unit since its creation in 2022.
Under Pamukov, Lucido said, the unit established itself as a model of fairness and accountability. It secured a $1.6 million federal grant to expand post-conviction DNA reviews, he added, and achieved the office’s first conviction integrity exoneration.
“I am deeply honored that Prosecutor Lucido has entrusted me with this responsibility,” the former judge in a press release issued by the prosecutor’s office. “The integrity of our criminal justice system depends on public confidence that every conviction is accurate, fair, and supported by the evidence.”
CXhrzanowski she looked forward “to building on the outstanding foundation established by Ms. Pamukov and working to ensure justice is faithfully served.”
Among other things, the Conviction Integrity Unit reviews post-conviction claims of actual innocence, examines newly discovered evidence and works to ensure convictions are both legally sound and factually accurate.
Lucido said the unit reflects his commitment to pursuing justice wherever the evidence leads, holding the guilty accountable while correcting the rare cases where the justice system has failed.
Pamukov praised the appointment, saying Chrzanowski's experience and reputation make her uniquely qualified to continue the unit's mission.
“Mary Chrzanowski is exactly the right person to lead the Conviction Integrity Unit at this time,” Pamukov said. “She has earned the respect of lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and the community through decades of thoughtful, principled decision-making. I know she will lead this unit with integrity. I could not be happier to see the work continue in such capable hands.”
The unit was established as part of a broader effort to strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system while ensuring that justice is done in every case, Lucido said in a news release.
Since its inception, the unit has conducted reviews of post-conviction innocence claims, resulting in the office's first exoneration in 2023.
The grant obtained in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance was one of only four such awards nationwide that year.
The grant increased the office's ability to investigate older cases, locate biological evidence, and use modern forensic science to determine whether DNA testing may establish actual innocence, according to the prosecutor’s office.
“Public safety and justice are not competing values, they are partners,” Lucido said. “When the guilty are convicted and the innocent are protected, confidence in the justice system grows stronger. The Conviction Integrity Unit reflects our commitment to getting every case right, and Judge Chrzanowski will continue that mission with distinction.”
Chrzanowski worked for a period in the early 1990s as an assistant Macomb County prosecutor before serving 24 years on the circuit court bench. She then moved to Florida to serve as a federal administrative law judge.
Several years ago, Chrzanowski was a co-host of a nationally syndicated television show, “Face the Truth.”
In 2014, she was featured on the NBC show “Dateline” in an episode entitled “Scary Mary Presiding’ that focused on her life and work with the Warren and Macomb County Juvenile Drug Courts.
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