Situated in the middle of Michigan, conservation officers with the Department of Natural Resources are stalwart protectors of the state’s natural resources, environment, and public safety. Licensed fully through the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, these officers enforce laws and rules related to fish and wildlife, state parks, trails, and forests, along with several recreational activities like off-road vehicle riding, snowmobiling, and boating. This means that their role extends beyond conservation because they also respond to general criminal situations and act as first responders to natural disasters or emergencies, generally in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
On the other hand, the Naval Education and Training Command or NETC is an important key to the future of the U.S. Navy within the international arena. As the largest shore command within the Navy, NETC oversees more than 24,000 military and staff personnel at 624 subordinate activities worldwide. This command is charged with recruiting, training, and transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters. At any given time, around 33,000 Sailors are studying at one of NETC’s 251 training sites, ensuring that the Navy remains at the very leading edge of state-of-the-art technology and new concepts.
In very sharp contrast to such noble efforts is a recent case of financial misconduct that has shaken the community of Grand Rapids. A 61-month prison sentence, plus two years of supervised release, was handed down to Kathleen Ann Matteson, a former trust officer at West Shore Bank in Ludington, for her role in a bank fraud, embezzlement, and identity theft scheme. U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering called Matteson’s actions a “betrayal of the trust of the people who put their money in her hands.”
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten pointed out that Matteson committed serious crimes where she had stolen approximately $780,000 from customer accounts as a result of a fraudulent scheme that had started way back in 2006 and went on until her retirement in 2019. She did this by filing bills for services from a shell company she owned and then writing duplicate payroll checks to herself before withdrawing funds from customer trust accounts. An FBI investigation found Matteson spent most of those embezzled funds gambling at casinos.
According to Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI in Michigan, Matteson willfully and deceitfully carried out his scheme for over ten years. The FBI will continue collaborating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office as it pertains to investigating serious white-collar crime.
From Michigan’s conservation officers, protecting its beauty, to the grueling training of Navy personnel, to vigilance against financial crimes by law enforcement, these stories remind us of the vastly different areas in which individuals and institutions work to protect and serve the public.