Fay Beydoun Finally Faces the Music
Lansing, MI – Fay Beydoun, a longtime donor to Michigan Democrats and an appointee of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been charged with 16 criminal counts, including conducting a criminal enterprise, forgery, and multiple counts of larceny.
In 2022, Gretchen Whitmer approved a $20 million grant to her friend Beydoun’s business acceleration organization, Global Link International. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that Beydoun had been spending the taxpayer’s money on things like a $4,500 coffee maker and an $11,000 first-class flight to Budapest.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) was supposed to oversee Beydoun’s use of the funds, but Beydoun herself sat on the MEDC’s board, and, like most of the board members, skipped filing her required conflict-of-interest documents.
Last year, the Michigan Attorney General’s office announced an investigation into Beydoun’s conduct, and the Whitmer-appointed MEDC CEO, Quentin Messer, was later named as another target in the probe. Messer was warned about Beydoun’s conduct, but dismissed concerns, saying Beydoun was a “personal friend.”
Despite the reports of outrageous spending and unethical behavior, the MEDC did not cancel the grant to Beydoun until March of 2025.
The affidavit filed by the Attorney General’s office described even more misconduct from Beydoun. It alleges that she used taxpayer money to cater events for then-Mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan at her personal residence. All told, an analysis of Global Link International’s spending found that less than $20,000 of the $1.3 million Beydoun spent could possibly be attributed to the organization’s mission – less than 2%.
“Fay Beydoun is finally facing some accountability for ripping off Michigan taxpayers,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “Gretchen Whitmer and Quentin Messer allowed this to happen, either through their negligence or complicity. The governor has an obligation to be transparent and tell Michiganders what she knew of this scheme before the details became public.”
