Gamrat's husband behind threats and blackmail, prosecutor finds

(WJBK) - Another layer in the ongoing saga between two former state representatives whose affair led to one resigning and the other being removed from office has been uncovered. Authorities in Lapeer County say they have uncovered who was blackmailing Todd Courser.

"He wanted his wife removed from office; he wanted me removed from office," Courser says. We talked to the former state representative by phone about the findings by the Lapeer County prosecutor.

The findings were that Cindy Gamrat's husband, Joe, was behind the alleged blackmail and extortion scheme. Anonymous text messages were sent from a pre-paid phone, threatening to expose the affair between the former state representatives.

"It's devastating, obviously, for representative Gamrat to have that situation because she had been assured by him for so, so very long that he wasn't involved in it," Courser says.

Courser says he hasn't spoken with Gamrat but believes there's enough evidence to prosecute him and even others.

"I don't know where in the world you have the spouse conspiring with the staff in the background and the staff conspiring with the enemies of the people they are supposed to be serving, and think that those actions
that are somehow justified," Courser says.

Courser had been receiving anonymous texts threatening to expose his affair with Gamrat, which is why he says he came up the bizarre story of an affair with a male prostitute to cover up the affair with Gamrat.

"Obviously our actions were our actions, but itdoesn't justify his actions or his best friend's actions or the actions of the staff that were involved in this," Courser says.

But Lapeer County Prosecutor Tim Turkelson says Joe Gamrat's motivation behind the text messages was to end the extramarital affair, and that it doesn't rise to the level of criminal extortion.

"I don't know what you even say to that. Those aren't the actions of someone who is trying to build or restore a marriage. The best I can say to that, is that's abuse," Courser says.

FOX 2 tried to reach Cindy and Joe Gamrat but we were not able to do so.

The Lapeer County prosecutor says there will be no charges, and that he sees no benefit in prolonging this saga at the expense of Lapeer County taxpayers.