Hamtramck lawsuit: Chief worked bribes with Trump associate, election fraud, massive cover-ups

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Hamtramck City Manager Max Garbarino may be suspended and facing termination, but that didn't stop him from following through on Monday with his plans to sue the city.

Garbarino and Hamtramck Police Officer David Adamczyk filed a lawsuit against the city after the two said they were suspended for blowing the whistle on misconduct by city officials.

The extensive lawsuit includes 254 counts and allegations from Garbarino and Adamczyk and all the claims are from the two, who hired John Marko law to represent them in the lawsuit. 

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib released a statement:

"There is a comprehensive investigation that is being conducted and it will include allegations against the police chief, city manager and Officer Adamczyk.

"The three of them are on paid administrative leave at this time, but whoever is found clear and innocent, he would be reinstated to his job. No one is immune to questioning and accountability.

"I learned from our city manager that we always get sued, mostly for nonsense, so that doesn’t mean anything at this point because we have to wait for the investigation outcomes, and based on that, we would know how valid is everyone’s case and what are their chances of winning such lawsuits."

Suspended Chief Altaheri also released a statement:

"My message from day one has been very clear, I call on the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, state police and FBI to follow-up on these false accusations and all those behind these fabricated stories."

According to the lawsuit, Garbarino and Adamczyk said there was a scheme to secure a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump in exchange for millions of dollars. At the center of the scheme was police chief Jamiel Altaheri, who Garbarino suspended in May.

In the lawsuit filed on Monday, Garbarino and Adamczyk said the city suppressed election fraud investigations, interfered with personnel decisions, obstructed criminal probes, and retaliated against whistleblowers.

Garbarino and Adamczyk said they reported detailed information of misconduct by Altaheri, which included a scheme to obtain a presidential pardon. In the lawsuit, they claim Altaheri was using connections to political donors and an associate of Trump to facilitate those negotiations.

During a press conference on Tuesday, one day after announcing the lawsuit, Marko said the amount of alleged corruption and cover-ups could fit in a serialized TV show.

"It reads out of a season of The Sopranos, the myriad of different, distinct allegations of corruption," he said. "There are all kinds of bad things going on in the city of Hamtramck."

Hamtramck election fraud claims

According to the lawsuit, City Clerk Rana Faraj first noticed repeated irregularities in absentee ballots, including identical handwriting on envelopes and large bundles. When she went to Garbarino about those concerns, he directed her to the police chief, Anne Moise, who opened a file. In early 2024, the Michigan Attorney General's office accepted the case, assigning an investigator.

In the six months since assigning the case, Attorney General Dana Nessel never brought any charges. During that time, however, Garbarino said he was harassed by six city council members who tried to force him to fire the city clerk.

In March 2025, Garbarino sent a letter to Nessel's office, detailing his frustration and saying the fraud in the city was ‘catastrophic', and that cameras had captured clear evidence of suspicious activities, including multiple instances of batches of absentee ballots being dropped into boxes at once.

As a result of the letter, Garbarino said Hamtramck City Councilman Mohammed Hassan stormed into his office and tried to pressure him to fire Faraj.

The city clerk previously said in April that some members of the city council were making comments during meetings and in private that felt like ‘targeted harassment’, with comments including ‘we are watching you’.

The suit also claims some members of the city council were not residents of the city and widespread rumors had persisted for years.

Additionally, Garbarino claims Hassan allegedly sent anonymous emails and letters to city officials using a false identity, claiming other council members were non-residents, and a video reportedly shows him delivering these letters personally. 

In response, an election committee that included Garbarino, the city clerk, city attorney, and chief of police, voted to adopt a more robust affidavit process, requiring each candidate, including incumbents, to certify they had lived in Hamtramck for at least a year and were not indebted to the city.

An investigation ultimately determined that the two members no longer lived in the city. The conclusion of the probe was presented to the city council. 

Instead of barring non-residents from office, Garbarino said the council ignored the evidence. One of the two councilmembers named in the probe, Muhith Mahmood, later self-incriminated himself in a meeting in May of this year, according to the lawsuit.

He allegedly said he moved to the city after the date he applied to run for office.

A forced hire?

The 74-page lawsuit continued, saying that the council was supposed to oversee Garbarino's hires of department heads, including the chief of police.

The suit says Garbarino was forced to hire Altaheri by council members who refused to approve any other candidate; a move he says was ‘rooted in discrimination’.

Altaheri and Adamczyk grew close, with Adamczyk being his direct subordinate. Garbarino said he tried to warn Altaheri about his close relationship with Adamczyk and cautioned him about maintaining appropriate boundaries. Altaheri said he relied upon Adamczyk - a relationship that changed in early 2025.

Altaheri claimed Adamczyk was insubordinate, to which Garbarino said there were never any such issues in Adamczyk's past – adding that Altaheri had even honored Adamczyk with an "Officer of the Year award" on March 19, 2025.

Garbarino claimed Altaheri's behavior was erratic and at times he lied.

Hamtramck police misconduct claims

In April 2025, Adamczyk emailed Garbarino about concerns with Altaheri, claiming that the police chief's actions were placing him in jeopardy of his position and employment, and that he was seeing negative activity towards his employment.

Garbarino sent Adamczyk to the Michigan State Police and FBI to file complaints. Adamczyk sent a detailed letter to MSP, saying he believes there is evidence suggesting Altaheri had been grooming members of the department to shield his actions and protect sensitive information.

Adamczyk also cited a pattern of domestic violence from Altaheri where officers would respond to his home, but Altaheri would advise the officers not to report the disputes.

One incident included an officer present with Altaheri and his significant other, who was allegedly intoxicated or possibly using pills, and a domestic event happened but was never reported. According to the officers, Altaheri directed them not to report it.

Adamczyk continued, explaining that in his position, he had personal knowledge of phone calls and interactions with Altaheri and his significant other. On two occasions, his significant other made comments that Altaheri had hit her and punched her. He says Altaheri dismissed the allegations, calling her ‘crazy’ and an ‘animal’.

When Adamczyk confronted Altaheri about the alleged abuse, Altaheri responded, "you guys here in Michigan don't handle things the correct way, you guys make everything formal."

During a New Year's Eve cruise to the Caribbean, Altaheri's significant other discovered evidence of the chief having an affair with a local school principal. A heated argument followed, and she claimed he ripped one of her fingernails off. She also told Adamczyk, his wife, and other cruise guests about domestic violence.

Adamczyk's wife began recording the statements, including claims Altaheri punched her in the stomach and hit her with a shower curtain. Cruise staff ultimately assigned her to a separate room away from Altaheri and Adamczyk said he then paid for her to fly home to New York.

The recording Adamczyk's wife made was later sent to the Michigan State Police.

Bribery claims

Adamczyk also claims that in December he was present when Altaheri was trying to set up introductions with a close associate of President Donald Trump, who the chief identified as Mark Zarkin.

Adamczyk said Altaheri and Zarkin were working on a scheme to get a presidential pardon for an acquaintance of Altaheri's, who had been convicted of financial crimes.

Altaheri said that in exchange for arranging the pardon, a payment between $1 million and $5 million would be made to the president through Zarkin, the lawsuit claims.

He said Altaheri and Zarkin traveled to the president's Mar-a-Lago estate for a meeting with high-profile millionaires to discuss a deal. Adamczyk said he drove Altaheri to the airport in Detroit and picked him up each time. He also said he was present for two in-person meetings between the two.

Additionally, Adamczyk claims Altaheri directed a civilian employee to make a Hamtramck Police Department Identification card for Zarkin, designating him with the title of "Chief Director." He noted that Altaheri told him that he received several thousand dollars and that it was necessary to facilitate ongoing efforts with Trump.

In one of those meetings, a man identified only as ‘Ralph’, was in attendance. Ralph was an associate of Altaheri's from New York, Adamczyk said. Ralph reported a car had been stolen in Dearborn that was initially involved in a private sale in New York before it was illegally taken to Michigan. Ralph and another man, Ibrahim Aljahim, were planning to get the car and deliver it to Altaheri's home in Livonia.

Adamczyk said he was told to help with the delivery and not question Ralph.

After doing so, he reached out to a New York Police Department detective to inform him that the chief had the car. That's when he said Altaheri began fabricating information to the city manager.

The lawsuit also claims that Altaheri tried to bribe a towing company through Adamczyk. The suit says the chief asked his officer to solicit a sponsorship worth between $40,000 and $50,000 for a podcast and other projects.

Adamczyk said the chief told him, "we've got to find a way to get paid, make some money," and asked Adamczyk to put him on as a sales consultant for Adamczyk's private company to receive a percentage. In early March, he said he was told to meet with the towing company alone but refused the request, saying he was uncomfortable.

Chief blackmailed

At the same time as Adamczyk's account, another officer allegedly put fake information on his time card.

Altaheri contacted Garbarino in January that officer Justin Rankin was falsifying his time card. The chief was advised to fire him and, on Jan. 16, he confirmed he was going to proceed with termination.

However, Garbarino said Altaheri then took a group of officers to a strip club and then drove home drunk. Rankin was in the car with him and Garbarino said he blackmailed the chief into not firing him as he had video of Altaheri driving drunk and running red lights in a police vehicle with its lights on.

Garbarino said on another occasion, Altaheri responded to a scene in a police vehicle and hit a curb, disabling a tire. Instead of calling dispatch, Garbarino said the chief called two reserve officers to replace the tire. Both officers said it was clear that the chief was drunk at the time.

Retaliation allegations

The complaint also outlined Altaheri's alleged role in influencing local elections. Adamczyk detailed several incidents where Altaheri actively advocated to city council members for Garbarino's removal, allegedly in retaliation for the city manager's role in reporting election fraud concerns.

Adamczyk explained that Altaheri possessed personal information involving a relative of a current council member, who was suspected of participating in home invasions and deed fraud schemes. Adamczyk noted in the memo that Altaheri had solicited a Dearborn resident, and a relative of Altaheri's wife, to disrupt Hamtramck City Council meetings and publicly target Garbarino.

Garbarino puts Altaheri on leave

After Adamczyk presented his details to Garbarino, the city manager directed him to the FBI or MSP. Garbarino then used his power as city manager to place Altaheri on leave on May 21, 2025.

According to Garbarino, he was starting an internal investigation and planned to continue the investigation with the chief on leave. However, he said he received human resources complaints about Altaheri's ‘erratic behavior’ and the chief was threatening officers.

Garbarino said he ordered deputy police chief Andrew Mileski to then put Adamczyk on administrative leave to protect him from retaliation. He then retained an outside firm to investigate both Altaheri and Adamczyk.

City council puts Garbarino on leave

After his actions against Altaheri, the city council and mayor Amer Ghalib all voted on May 27 to put Garbarino on paid administrative leave indefinitely, which revoked his access to city property and devices.

Garbarino is suing the city and council members for breach of contract, violating open meetings' law, unlawful retaliation, and racial discrimination. Garbarino said the city council and mayor claimed he had only suspended Altaheri because he is Armenian-American.

"Some of you have intimated that the chief's ethnic background should play some kind of role in my personnel decisions. I will not, however, look the other way merely because someone is from a certain group or ethnic background. I feel that my refusal to do so here has led to discrimination directed at me because of my ethnic background," Garbarino said in the May 27 city meeting.

HamtramckCrime and Public Safety