Prosecutor's fraud unit reports low county-related caseload; committee moves report to full board

James A. Bivens Jr., director of the Prosecutor's Office Fraud and Corruption Investigation Unit, told the Wayne County Committee on Audit on Oct. 12, 2025, that the office received 22 emails seeking assistance between Jan. 1 and March; none of those 22 involved county employees or county vendors, and they were referred to other law enforcement agencies.

"This month, I've received 2 emails that will require investigation. 1 has started, had begun, and it's pending. Another 1 starts today," Bivens said, adding that because the matters are open he was not at liberty to discuss details.

Tony Guerrero, chief of legislation, grants and community relations for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, and Kim Worthy were present for the item and introduced themselves to the committee. Guerrero also reported that prior technical problems with the unit's email submission form and telephone line had been addressed by IT staff, though the telephone issue remained under continuing attention.

After the unit's report, the committee chair moved to forward the fraud unit report with recommendation to the full Wayne County Commission for consideration. The motion was made on the record but the committee did not record a roll-call vote during the meeting.

Bivens said the unit's summary to the committee is required by the jurisdiction's fraud investigation policy (section 73.3(fifteen)), which calls for semiannual conferral with the audit committee on completed investigations and recommended improvements to fraud control systems.

The committee called for no public comments and adjourned after the agenda items. The chair instructed staff to place the committee's recommendation on the full commission's agenda for receipt and filing.