A woman who ran Michigan's Hispanic/Latino Commission for nearly 30 years is accused of stealing public money earmarked for a proposed statue of civil rights and farm labor leader Cesar Chavez.
Maria Louisa "Marylou" Mason, who retired from state government work in 2015, was ordered last week to stand trial on embezzlement charges after waiving her right to a district court review of the evidence.
The Lansing State Journal reports that an investigation showed that Mason embezzled more than $73,500 given to the state to build a Cesar Chavez Memorial statue in Lansing.
Mason is charged with embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000 and embezzlement by a public official over $50.
A message left Sunday for her attorney, Robert Easterly, seeking comment was not immediately returned.
