State Rep Brian Banks facing new felony charges

State representative Brian Banks is facing new felony charges.

Banks, a Grosse Pointe Woods Democrat, has been investigated in the past, but now a felony complaint accuses Banks of uttering and publishing in regards to a 2010 loan.

The charges are for writing bad checks as well as one false pretense count for financial condition and another for a false pretense of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.

Ben Gonek, the attorney for Banks said this case appears to stem from a 2010 loan in which Banks borrowed $3,000 from a credit union. 

The first two counts carry with them 14 years in prison each. The first false pretense charge is a five year and or $10,000 or three times the value of the money or property involved. The second false pretense count for financial condition is a one year or $1,000 misdemeanor.

The reason why the charges are coming now is because of the statute of limitations is expiring Wednesday. We have Banks in the past suspected of not being a resident of his district and suspected of committing voter fraud, although nobody has done anything about those claims.

Now it looks like the state's highest law enforcement officer is going after him for uttering and publishing which is bad checks and maybe a false statement on a loan.

Investigators are also looking to charge him as a habitual offender. The judge could send him to prison for up to life because he has multiple felonies for financial crimes.

Banks' attorney Ben Gonek thinks that these charges are a "stretch."

This is a problem for Banks heading into a hotly contested primary.

Banks is expected to arraigned Wednesday.

Rep. Brian Banks felony complaint