Former Ionia Township Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

Marilyn Harp took nearly $750,000 in Township funds for her own use

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Marilyn Ethel Harp, 74, of Ionia, Michigan pleaded guilty to bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344. Harp is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. 

U.S. Attorney VerHey filed a bank fraud charge against Harp on June 30, 2026. The Felony Information specifies that Harp served as the treasurer of Ionia Township between 1984 and 2025.  Her position put her in charge of collecting property taxes from residents of Ionia Township, which she was supposed to deposit into Township bank accounts and be used for public services. The criminal charge alleges that Harp committed fraud between 2014 and 2025 when she diverted much of this money-- $747,025-- for her own benefit. 

On August 6, 2026, Harp appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou and admitted her fraud. She agreed that she took Township funds and used them for herself, which included building a vacation home, taking vacations and purchasing luxury items. When others began to suspect that Harp was stealing public funds, she attempted to cover her tracks by fabricating some records and destroying others. As part of her plea agreement, Harp agreed to forfeit $647,698 that federal investigators connected to the fraud scheme and seized during the investigation.        

U.S. Attorney VerHey said, “As a corrupt public official who was stealing public funds, Marilyn Harp deserved to be charged with the most serious crime available. Harp’s crime is worse than that, though. The money she stole from her neighbors was intended to fund her community’s school system. For over ten years she took this money from the people in her community and spent it on a vacation home and other luxuries that were out of reach for many of her neighbors. I look forward to telling Judge Jarbou all about this at the sentencing hearing.”   

“Holding public office is a public trust, not a personal opportunity for financial gain. Ms. Harp deliberately broke that trust, and today’s guilty plea is an important step toward her accountability to the people of Ionia,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I am grateful for the exceptional work of our FBI Grand Rapids Resident Agency, in partnership with the Michigan State Police, whose professionalism, dedication, and collaboration were instrumental throughout this investigation. FBI Detroit will continue working with our partners to protect the integrity of public institutions and preserve the confidence our communities place in those institutions.”  

The Grand Rapids office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Michigan State Police investigated this case. The prosecution was personally handled by United States Attorney Timothy VerHey, after consultation with the Ionia County Prosecutor’s Office.