Great Lakes Wire

LANSING – Today, Thomas VanDuinen, 72, of Alpena, was sentenced by Judge Edward Black in the 26th Circuit Court in Alpena County to 17 months to 4 years’ incarceration for three counts of Report of a Felony and an additional consecutive sentence of 23 months to 7 years’ incarceration for one count of Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. VanDuinen, who was found guilty by an Alpena County jury of making false claims against Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers during the execution of a 2021 search warrant, will also serve a concurrent sentence of 13 months to 2 years’ incarceration for one count of providing a false statement to a police officer conducting a criminal investigation. He will be required to serve 40 months in prison before he is eligible for parole.

“False accusations levied against law enforcement not only undermine the public’s trust but also inflict damage on the lives and careers of those committed to protecting and serving our communities,” Nessel said. “I hope this conviction serves as a deterrent to those who would make false accusations. My department will continue to protect the integrity of law enforcement against unfounded claims.”

In February 2021, MSP executed search warrants on VanDuinen’s home and a pole barn he was renting for his business in Alpena. Two days after the execution of the search warrants, VanDuinen began filing reports and demands for the return of his property and then filed a lawsuit against MSP. In his reports, demands, and lawsuit, VanDuinen made numerous false allegations against the MSP troopers who searched his home and business, accusing them of stealing money and hydrocodone pills and forging signatures on the search warrants that were used to search his properties.

VanDuinen reported these allegations to the MSP Professional Standards Section and a criminal investigation was initiated in June 2021. The Michigan Solicitor General authorized the close of the investigation against the troopers in January 2022.

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