Traci Kornak is a Michigan attorney and former treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party who was charged in January 2026 with three felonies for allegedly embezzling more than $100,000 from an elderly, brain-injured woman whose finances she controlled as a court-appointed conservator. The case has also become a political flashpoint, with Republican lawmakers accusing Attorney General Dana Nessel of shutting down an earlier investigation into Kornak because of their personal relationship.
The Charges
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced the charges on January 28, 2026. Kornak, then 62 and living in Comstock Park, was charged with embezzlement from a vulnerable adult in the $50,000–$100,000 range, which carries up to 15 years in prison; embezzlement from a vulnerable adult in the $1,000–$20,000 range, up to five years; and false pretenses, $1,000–$20,000, also up to five years.1Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Criminal Charges Announced Against Nessel Associate
She was arraigned on February 3, 2026, and released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond.2WOOD TV. Former Michigan Democratic Party Treasurer Accused of Embezzlement and Fraud as Conservator As of mid-2026, the case was still in the investigation phase while authorities awaited the results of a forensic audit, and no trial date had been set.3Michigan Legal News. Kornak Case Update
What Kornak Allegedly Did
An audit of the victim’s finances for 2020 through 2023 found $123,290 in questionable transactions. More than $85,000 of that was allegedly moved directly from the victim’s accounts into Kornak’s own accounts. The audit flagged over $14,000 in overpayments for attendant care and about $10,000 in expenditures that were not for the victim’s benefit.2WOOD TV. Former Michigan Democratic Party Treasurer Accused of Embezzlement and Fraud as Conservator
A State Farm Insurance agent separately reported that Kornak had improperly billed the company for funds tied to an accident settlement. According to the allegations, Kornak billed conservator fees at her attorney rate and billed in-home care at a professional rate even though the caregiver was her own daughter, who should have been billed at a lower family rate.4WOOD TV. Charges Move Forward Against Former MI Dems Treasurer Materials presented to the Michigan House Oversight Committee put the total questionable amount, including insurance-related items, at nearly $420,000.5Michigan House Republicans. Rep Johnsen Pushes for Accountability After Criminal Charges
The Victim
Rosalene Burd was a wealthy west Michigan woman who had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and lived at an assisted living facility near Grand Rapids. She was under Kornak’s conservatorship, which gave Kornak court-authorized control over her finances. Burd died in April 2025 at age 86.6Detroit Free Press. Kent Prosecutor Embezzlement Nessel Traci Kornak
The 2022 Investigation That Was Closed
The allegations first surfaced in July 2022, when journalist Charlie LeDuff reported in the Detroit News that a Grand Rapids nursing home had accused Kornak of “inappropriate and unauthorized” invoicing against an elderly, brain-damaged client’s account.7Deadline Detroit. Former Democratic Party Treasurer Charged With Embezzling From Vulnerable Adult The complainant was Joe LeBlanc, the former director of the facility, who alleged Kornak had used the client’s account to fraudulently bill an insurance company for nearly $50,000.8Detroit News. LeDuff: Nessel Jumped Firewall to Help Friend
The Attorney General’s office opened an investigation. In September 2022, Financial Crimes Division director Scott Teter set up an “ethical firewall” to separate Nessel from the case because of Nessel’s acknowledged personal relationship with Kornak.8Detroit News. LeDuff: Nessel Jumped Firewall to Help Friend
Emails later obtained through public records requests show the wall did not hold. On December 5, 2022, Nessel’s chief investigator sent her reports on the Kornak investigation. The next day Nessel forwarded them to Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, writing that Kornak had contacted her and that the allegations were “holding up a potential judicial appointment for her in Kent County.” The investigation was closed about two weeks later. LeBlanc said he was never interviewed.8Detroit News. LeDuff: Nessel Jumped Firewall to Help Friend
The Attorney General’s office has defended the handling of that investigation and says the 2026 Kent County charges are a separate matter with “different complainants involving a different victim.”9Michigan Advance. Former Michigan Democratic Party Official Charged With Embezzling From Vulnerable Adult Spokesperson Kimberly Bush said the office closed the 2022 investigation because the insurance company did not believe it had been defrauded and the complainant stopped cooperating.4WOOD TV. Charges Move Forward Against Former MI Dems Treasurer
The Political Fallout
Beginning in December 2025, the Michigan House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), held hearings on how the Attorney General’s office handled the Kornak matter. Committee staff presented email screenshots as evidence that Nessel breached the isolation wall, and DeBoyer said the findings showed “at minimum a clear ethics violation by Attorney General Dana Nessel.”10News From the States. Nessel Rebuffs Ethics Claims Michigan House Oversight Chair
At a January 27, 2026 hearing, House staff attorney Catherine Edwards testified that the Attorney General’s office had advised Adult Protective Services “not to help a vulnerable adult despite the results of a two year investigation and the conclusion that the vulnerable adult was the victim of financial exploitation.”11Michigan Advance. House Oversight Committee Continues Hearings on Alleged Ethics Concerns by Attorney General Office Other testimony described an APS caseworker’s account that during a December 2024 interview, Kornak left a phone behind to record the conversation without consent.12Michigan House Republicans. Rep DeBoyer Facts on Kornak Case Dont Look Good for Attorney General Nessel
Nessel’s office called the hearings “merely political in nature” and said the committee was conflating the 2022 AG investigation with separate, later investigations by the probate court, Adult Protective Services, and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office that involved different complainants and a different victim.11Michigan Advance. House Oversight Committee Continues Hearings on Alleged Ethics Concerns by Attorney General Office DeBoyer said impeachment proceedings against Nessel remained “on the table.”10News From the States. Nessel Rebuffs Ethics Claims Michigan House Oversight Chair After the hearings, the House passed a three-bill package (HB 5314, 5315, and 5316) to limit the Attorney General’s power to choose venue and to intervene in proceedings without a request from the governor or legislature. The bills advanced to the Senate.13Michigan House Republicans. Michigan House Passes Package to End Attorney Generals Venue Shopping and Intervention Overreach
Where Kornak Stands Now
Kornak served as treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party from 2019 through the spring of 2025 and was a member of Nessel’s transition committee after Nessel’s 2018 election.9Michigan Advance. Former Michigan Democratic Party Official Charged With Embezzling From Vulnerable Adult As of mid-2026, her law license remained active. The State Bar of Michigan listed her as an “Active Member in Good Standing,” with no public record of suspension or disciplinary proceedings.14State Bar of Michigan. Traci Kornak Lawyer Profile The Kent County criminal case is pending, and Kornak also faces a separate audit by the Allegan County Probate Court tied to her conservatorship work.3Michigan Legal News. Kornak Case Update