Prosecutors say they have a recorded conversation between a Michigan lawmaker and a woman who is described as a no-show employee on his Senate payroll.
The government made the disclosure Wednesday in the criminal case against Sen. Bert Johnson, a Democrat from Highland Park. The November 2015 recording might be used as evidence if the case goes to trial.
Johnson is accused of repaying $14,000 in loans by putting Glynis Thornton on his payroll in 2014. The government says she did no work. Johnson denies the theft charge.
Thornton has been cooperating with investigators since getting caught in a separate corruption case involving bribes for a Detroit school principal.
