Former Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco was released from a federal prison in West Virginia on Friday after serving approximately 77 days for his role in a long-running federal corruption scandal.
Federal Bureau of Prisons records confirm Marrocco, 75, was released from FCI Morgantown where he was sent to serve a three-month sentence.
The sentence capped a years-long crackdown on corruption in Macomb County that saw Marrocco fall from being one of Metro Detroit’s longest-serving and most powerful politicians to a convict guilty of trying to extort a developer into buying tickets to a campaign fundraiser and threatening to delay or withhold a county permit.
He was the target of a federal investigation that led to the convictions of at least 23 contractors and public officials, including former county Prosecutor Eric Smith.
The long focus on Marrocco, however, ended with one of the shortest prison sentences issued by U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland during the corruption crackdown. Prosecutors sought a 16-month sentence in January, saying Marrocco eroded public faith in public service while demanding dollars and respect from contractors during a long reign.
Marrocco’s defense lawyer, Steve Fishman, requested that Marrocco be spared prison due to the former politician’s age and health problems. Fishman also said the pressures of campaign fundraising are ongoing and an integral part of politics.
Marrocco, a resident of Florida, must serve two years of “supervised release,” the first 450 days under house arrest in Michigan without internet or unapproved visitation. He also was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
Marrocco ran the public works 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.
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