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Commissioner says 4-year-old 'fake hate crime' in Green Oak Township was prosecuted and reduced to misdemeanor
Summary
Commissioner Nakagiri told the Livingston County Board of Commissioners that a 2019 incident in Green Oak Township involving Renee Gideon was a staged hate crime, and said the county prosecutor charged the case as a felony that later was reduced to a misdemeanor with $775 in fines and costs.
During commissioner comments at the Aug. 11, 2025 meeting, Commissioner Nakagiri described a 2019 incident in Green Oak Township involving Renee Gideon and called it a "fake hate crime." Nakagiri said the incident began after Gideon publicly supported a drag-queen bingo event at MelonFest and said the county prosecutor initially charged the matter as a felony before it was "pled down" to a misdemeanor.
"She pled down to a misdemeanor, had to pay $775 in court costs and fines," Nakagiri said, and added he has emailed every local elected official to make them aware because, he said, "our media refuses to inform the public of the truth."
Nakagiri framed the remarks as part of a broader concern about what he characterized as staged incidents intended to smear the county. The transcript records no additional discussion or presentations of court documents, and the board did not take any formal action on Nakagiri's statements during the meeting.
Because these are statements by a commissioner recounting past legal proceedings, the transcript does not itself provide court records or independent verification of the charges, the plea, or the fine amount. Nakagiri presented them as factual; they are reported here as his account to the board.
