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.
