Hamtramck city manager and police officer sue city leaders over alleged corruption
The Hamtramck city manager and police officer are suing Mayor Amer Ghalib, Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri and city council members for alleged corruption and violation of the Michigan Whistleblower Protection Act and Open Meetings Act.
The lawsuit, filed by Marko Law, names council members Abu Musa, Khalil Refai, Mohammed Hassan, Muhith Mahmood, Mohammed Alsomiri, and Muhtasin Sadman. It alleges that City Manager Max Garbarino and Special Investigator David Adamczyk faced retaliation after reporting misconduct, such as a presidential pardon in exchange for money, suppressing election fraud investigations and improper use of police resources.
Garbarino is expected to speak at a press conference on Tuesday.
"Max Garbarino has honorably served Hamtramck for over twenty years. Instead of rewarding his integrity, the City Council betrayed him and officer David Adamczyk, punishing them for standing up against corruption and misconduct at the highest levels," said Attorney Reno Arabo in a statement. "This lawsuit will hold Hamtramck accountable and send a clear message: public servants who protect their community from wrongdoing deserve support, not retaliation," said Attorney Jonathan Marko. "I hope there is a Max and David in every city. We need people who are brave enough to stand up, expose corruption, and protect their community, even when powerful forces try to silence them."
CBS News Detroit contacted Ghalib, Altaheri and the city council members for comment and is waiting for a response.
According to the lawsuit, Adamcyzk reported the misconduct to Garbarino, who placed Altaheri on administrative leave in May 2025. Adamczyk was placed on leave "to protect him from further retaliation from defendants, and to safeguard the integrity of the investigation," according to the lawsuit.
A week later, the council voted to place Garbarino on leave, which the lawsuit claims was retaliation. The lawsuit claims Ghalib attempted to prevent Garbarino from suspending Altaheri and that the council violated the Open Meetings Act when members ended the meeting to go into a closed session to suspend Garbarino.
Altaheri was named police chief after serving with the New York Police Department. The lawsuit alleges that the city council forced Garbarino to hire Altaheri and refused to approve any other candidate without a reason.
According to the lawsuit, Garbarino advised Adamczyk to contact the Michigan State Police and the FBI to investigate.
Lawsuit: Police chief allegedly pushed for presidential pardon of acquaintance
According to the lawsuit, Adamcyzk also claims that beginning in December 2024, Altaheri worked with an individual described as a "close associate of President Donald Trump" to secure a presidential pardon for an acquaintance in New York who was charged with financial crimes.
Adamcyzk said he accompanied Altaheri to some of the meetings with the associate, and there was a proposal to pay Mr. Trump $1 million to $5 million through the associate in exchange for the pardon, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit did not name the person charged or whether they were pardoned.
It claims that Altaheri also requested a fake Hamtramck police ID card for the associate's position as "chief director."
CBS News Detroit contacted the White House for comment, but officials said they would not confirm or deny any allegations related to Mr. Trump.
Council members, police chief engaged in election fraud, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit alleges that in late 2023, the city clerk spotted irregularities in absentee ballots and was advised by Garabino to report the findings to Hamtramck police. Garbarino received complaints that city leaders were improperly helping people with ballots and entering restricted areas, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that the investigation reached the Michigan Attorney General's office, during which council members allegedly harassed Garbarino and the clerk, trying to force him to fire the clerk. It also claims Altaheri allegedly pushed for council members to fire Garbarino for reporting election fraud.
Two of the council members, Musa and Mahmood, were under a microscope this year after it was reported that they did not live within city limits. The lawsuit alleges that an investigation found that the two members did not live within city limits. In an April 25 council meeting, Mahmood and Musa argued that they do have second homes in other communities, but they live in Hamtramck. That night, the city council voted against removing either member, saying there wasn't enough evidence to take action.
Additionally, the council allegedly pressured Garbarino to fire the city assessor after he displayed a pride flag in his office and to fire the human resources director, with one of the council members allegedly saying there were "too many Black people" working for the city.
In 2023, former Hamtramck officials sued the city over the ban on pride flags. That lawsuit came after city leaders passed a law prohibiting any pride, ethnic, and political flags from going up on city property.
Police chief operated patrol vehicle while intoxicated, lawsuit alleges
The lawsuit alleges that Altaheri drove a police vehicle while intoxicated, damaging one of the tires. The lawsuit claims the police chief was responding to an active shooting scene at the time and called two reserve officers to replace the tire instead of contacting dispatch.
Garbarino claims he reported the alleged drunk driving to the mayor and human resources, according to the lawsuit.
Additionally, Adamczyk claims Altaheri requested that he use police resources to investigate an individual who allegedly defrauded one of Altaheri's associates in New York, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit claims that Adamcyzk raised concerns about the request, to which Altaheri allegedly responded in a hostile manner.
Adamczyk alleges that Altaheri was grooming members of the police department "to shield or obscure his actions and protect sensitive information." According to the lawsuit, Adamczyk claims there were reports of domestic violence at Altaheri's home; however, the police chief advised officers not to report the disputes.
According to the lawsuit, Adamczyk's memo also claims that Altaheri attempted to make Adamczyk solicit sponsorship funds from the owner of a towing company to support a podcast and other projects.
