Todd Courser

Todd Anthony Courser (born August 2, 1972) is an American lawyer, Tea Party[2] Republican politician, and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives who resigned his seat when it became clear that he would be expelled for misconduct and the misuse of taxpayer resources in an attempt to cover up his extramarital affair with fellow Representative Cindy Gamrat.

Todd Courser
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 82nd district
In office
January 1, 2015 – September 11, 2015
Preceded byKevin Daley
Succeeded byGary Howell
Personal details
Born
Todd Anthony Courser[1]

(1972-08-02) August 2, 1972
Flint, Michigan
Political partyRepublican
SpouseFon Courser
ResidenceLapeer County, Michigan
EducationUniversity of Michigan (B.A.)
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School (J.D.)
OccupationLawyer

He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 and from the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctor in 2003.[3]

Courser was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2006 and continues to practice law in his firm, Todd A. Courser & Associates, PLLC.[4][5]

Electoral history

Courser ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008, for the Michigan Senate in 2010, and for the state Board of Education in 2012.[6] In 2013, Courser unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, Bobby Schostak.[2]

Main article: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2014

In 2014, Courser again ran for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Margaret Guerrero-DeLuca defeated Immanuel Eickholdt in the Democratic primary. Todd Courser defeated Jacob Hunsanger, Jan Peabody and Sharna Smith in the Republican primary. Courser defeated DeLuca in the general election.[7]

82nd District
(Lapeer)
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Todd Courser 15,699 55.1
Democratic Margaret Guerrero DeLuca 12,799 44.9
Total votes 28,498 100.0
Republican hold

Sex scandal

The Detroit News published audio recordings on August 7, 2015, in which Courser asked staff to create a rumor that he had sex with a male prostitute in order to distract from the affair he was having with Cindy Gamrat, also a member of the Michigan House of Representatives.[8] Kevin Cotter, the Speaker of the Michigan House, initiated an investigation into their use of public funds to cover up their affair.[9] Despite calls to resign from office,[10] Courser claimed he was being blackmailed by mainstream Michigan Republicans and would not resign.[11]

In the pre-dawn hours of September 11, 2015, Courser resigned after several hours of a stalemate on his expulsion vote. Gamrat was subsequently expelled from the House.[12] Courser announced that he would run in the special election to fill his vacated seat.[13] Courser finished in fifth place in the primary election, with less than 4% of the vote.[14]

Courser was charged with four felonies over his role in the scandal on February 26, 2016, by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. He was charged with three separate counts of official misconduct, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and one count of perjury, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.[15] Courser is represented by Portage-based attorney Matthew S. DePerno.[16][17]

In April 2016, Courser announced his candidacy for Lapeer County Prosecutor.[18] He was unsuccessful in the August Republican primary, garnering about 4% of the vote.[19]

Both Courser and Gamrat launched their own independent radio programs on WFDF-AM (910) in April, and then May respectively, of 2016.[20]

In 2016, Lansing District Court Judge Hugh B. Clarke Jr. ordered Courser to stand trial on two felony counts (one count of perjury and one count of misconduct in office), while dismissing both felony counts against Gamrat.[21][22]

In 2019, Courser pleaded no contest to willful neglect of duty by a public officer, a misdemeanor. He received probation.[23]

References
  1. "PEOPLE OF MI V TODD ANTHONY COURSER (Authored Opinion)".
  2. Livengood, Chad (December 19, 2014). "GOP Chairman Bobby Schostak Will Not Seek Re-Election". The Detroit News. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  3. "Todd A. Courser Lawyer Profile". www.martindale.com.
  4. "Todd Courser, District 82". Michigan House Republicans.
  5. http://www.courserlaw.com/ Courser Law
  6. "Rep. Todd Courser Has a Checkered Political Past". Detroit Free Press. August 10, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  7. "82nd District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position Files In Lapeer County". Michigan Secretary of State.
  8. Livengood, Chad (August 7, 2015). "Ex-Aides and Recordings: Michigan Lawmaker Asked Aide to Conceal Relationship". The Detroit News.
  9. Egan, Paul; Gray, Kathleen (August 7, 2015). "House Speaker: Investigate Lawmakers for Reportedly Covering Up Affair". Detroit Free Press.
  10. "Michigan Reps. Todd Courser, Cindy Gamrat Must Resign Amid Sex Scandal". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  11. Livengood, Chad; Fleming, Leonard N.; Heinlein, Gary; Bouffard, Karen (August 10, 2015). "Courser Blames Actions on Blackmail, Defies Calls to Resign". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  12. "Todd Courser Resigns, Cindy Gamrat Expelled from Michigan House in Wake of Sex Scandal". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  13. "Former Michigan Rep. Todd Courser to Run Again for Seat He Resigned". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  14. "GOP's Self-Proclaimed 'Sex Deviant' Fails in Comeback Bid". NBC News.
  15. Chad Livengood (February 26, 2016). "Schuette plans criminal charges for Courser, Gamrat". Detroit News.
  16. "House Speaker fights subpoena in Courser/Gamrat affair cover-up". April 20, 2016.
  17. "Matthew DePerno Law Office".
  18. "Former state Rep. Courser running for Lapeer prosecutor".
  19. "Embattled former lawmaker Todd Courser loses county prosecutor bid". August 3, 2016.
  20. Jacobson-Hines, Julie. "Expelled lawmaker Cindy Gamrat to host radio talk-show". The Oakland Press.
  21. Chad Livengood (June 14, 2016). "Courser to stand trial; charges dropped for Gamrat". Detroit News.
  22. David Eggert (June 14, 2016). "Judge sends Courser to trial, tosses case against Gamrat". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press.
  23. Mack, Julie (September 16, 2016). "Former state Rep. Todd Courser gets probation in case related to 2015 sex scandal". mlive.com.
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