MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (WILX) – A second man has been sentenced to prison for the 2022 election fraud scheme in Michigan.
Willie Reed of Pompano Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 2-20 years in prison after a Macomb County jury found him guilty of conducting a criminal enterprise and fraud.
He was convicted of defrauding gubernatorial candidates James Craig, Perry Johnson, Michael Markey, and Ryan Kelly during the 2022 election cycle by submitting forged signatures required for governor candidates.
Gubernatorial candidates are required to collect a certain number of signatures to appear on the primary ballot.
The candidates contracted Reed and codefendant Shawn Wilmoth to collect the required signatures. Reed charged the campaigns $350,000 in total for valid signatures, and then knowingly delivered fake ones, Attorney General Dana Nessel says.
CONTEXT: Michigan man sentenced to prison for 2022…
THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud