Man Who Claimed to Fight Against Public Corruption Jailed for Stealing from Poor Kids

Robert Davis, who is known for launching a series of lawsuits against the State and claiming to be a champion of the people in the fight against corruption, is going to jail.

Davis was sentenced Thursday for stealing almost $200,000 from the High Park School District.   The theft came at a time when the cash-strapped district was struggling to offer even the most basic of services to students.

The man, who gained attention as being the youngest elected official in Highland Park, was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in federal prison on corruption charges.  The Detroit News is reporting that he was depicted by prosecutors as a "reverse Robin Hood" not "giving" to the poor but taking from them.

The money was spent at car dealerships, hotels, bars and even custom clothing shops. This, while students in Highland Park, where Davis serviced on the School Board, were struggling.

The article indicates that Davis used his capacity within the district to funnel cash into a bank account under the name "Citizens United to Save Highland Park Schools."    The problem is, according to prosecutors, the money didn't save the schools but rather padded Davis' pockets.

Davis is known in the Lansing area as the man who filed numerous lawsuits against state officials--including Governor Snyder.  Most of them involved the appointment and duties of the Emergency Manager who was assigned to Detroit.  He claimed lack of transparency.

While winning some of his lawsuits, he lost other key rulings as well.  Many say his efforts to derail the Detroit EM in his duties to return the city to solvency, was nothing more than a smoke-screen to draw attention away from

his illegal activities and held up Michigan's economic recovery.

The sentencing, which many think is too soft, came three months after Davis agreed to plead guilty to converting money from the school district for his own use.  He also pleaded to filing a false tax return.

Davis told the judge before sentencing that he is trying to turn his life around.

"I stand before you a changed and humbled man," he said.  "I am ashamed and embarrassed and remorseful for the mistakes I've made."

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