Ex-Ionia Township treasurer pleads guilty to $750K fraud

A former Ionia Township treasurer pleaded guilty to bank fraud Thursday after federal prosecutors said she embezzled nearly $750,000 in township funds over more than a decade.

Marilyn Harp, 74, served as township treasurer from 1984 to 2025. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged her June 30 with one count of bank fraud, alleging she took $747,025 from residents' property tax payments between 2014 and 2025 and falsified or destroyed records to hide the theft.

Harp admitted she used the money for vacations, luxury goods and a vacation home, according to federal prosecutors. Under her plea agreement, she forfeited $647,698 that investigators had seized during the probe.

U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said the stolen funds were intended to help fund the local school system. Harp is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3 and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Read the full story at woodtv.com.