Anthony Marrocco reports to federal prison following Macomb corruption scandal

Former Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco surrendered at a minimum-security federal prison in West Virginia on Thursday to serve a three-month sentence for his role in a wide-ranging public corruption scandal.

Marrocco, 74, of Ray Township, arrived at Federal Correctional Institution Morgantown three months after being sentenced for trying to extort a developer into buying tickets to a campaign fundraiser and threatening to delay or withhold a county permit.

He is among the highest-ranking public official convicted in a years-long prosecution of corruption across Metro Detroit. A total of 138 people from the eastern half of Michigan have been convicted of bribery, corruption, racketeering and extortion from 2015-22 and sentenced to an average 25 months in prison, according to U.S. Sentencing Commission data.

His sentence coincides with an FBI corruption investigation targeting Detroit politicians, whose homes and offices were searched in August 2021. Four city officials have pleaded guilty in the ongoing federal corruption investigation, "Operation Northern Hook," including former Detroit City Councilman André Spivey.

Marrocco, meanwhile, ran the department from 1993 to 2016 during a period of continued growth in Macomb County. He exerted power and control over building and development, everything from approving construction permits and awarding multimillion-dollar public works contracts.

Once released, he must spend two years under the supervision of court officials. That includes 450 days of house arrest in Michigan and Marrocco is barred from using the Internet or having unapproved visitors.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @robertsnellnews