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Kunse, Coker, and Demasi |
By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)
State Representative Tom Kunse's connections to Anthony Demasi and David Coker (as well as the trio's relationship with former Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth) have raised major red flags as questions about the controversial $25 million state grant for Clare Health Park---including Kunse's shady $3.5 million land deal---remain unanswered.
The grant has been stopped, and the project is now under investigation.
Both David Coker and Anthony Demasi are donors to State Rep. Tom Kunse.
Demasi hasn’t made any other legal political donations to anyone else---aside from the $1,050 to Kunse in April of 2021:
Coker gave Kunse $100 the same week, and has also donated $10 to Jason Wentworth:
David Coker
David Coker is the ex-Legislative Director for former Speaker Of The House Jason Wentworth.
Coker is currently a Clare County Road Commissioner,
and leads the Clare Chamber Of Commerce.
He used to be a Surrey Township Trustee.
Coker left Wentworth’s office in 2021 to form his non-profit,
and pursue the Clare Health Park project grant.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services subsequently awarded Coker’s non-profit the $25 million grant, which Wentworth fought to include in the budget, in 2022.
Soon after, Coker’s non-profit purchased a $3.5 million property from Speaker Wentworth’s friend---the man who would replace him in January 2023 as State Representative---Tom Kunse! Wentworth has strongly supported Kunse for years...
Coker’s organization then awarded Coker’s own consulting firm, IW Consulting, a lucrative six figure deal reportedly worth nearly $900,000!
Right when you don’t think it can get any dirtier, Coker hired former Chicago con man Anthony Demasi, a character straight out of “The Sopranos,” to lead the construction campaign as the Project Manager!
Here are more relevant excerpts on Coker from the Bridge Michigan investigation:
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/records-firm-ex-aide-michigan-speaker-paid-820k-within-days-grant
Who Is Anthony Demasi?
Anthony Demasi was indicted in federal court in
January of 2023 for an identity theft scheme,
the day before the Clare Health Park grant was approved.
Demasi, owner of a financial firm and a Professor
at Mid-Michigan Community College at the time,
was caught trying to take out credit cards from
3 different banks using the IDs of 3 different people,
without their consent, in Isabella County.
The victims Demasi targeted were his own interns
and employees.
He was formally charged with 3 counts of bank fraud,
which carries up to 30 years in prison, as well as 3 counts
of Identity theft, carrying an additional 2 years.
On March 21st, 2024, Demasi plead guilty to the charges:
"A Mt. Pleasant man charged with bank theft and another crime in federal court is scheduled to enter a plea.
Originally charged with three counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft, Anthony Demasi is expected to plead guilty to one count each of bank fraud and identity theft at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in United States District Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Morris’ Bay City courtroom.
In exchange for the plea, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Buckley agreed to drop two bank fraud and two identity theft charges at sentencing.
As part of the plea agreement, Demasi is paying more than $12,000 in full restitution
to two FDIC- insured banks before or at the time of sentencing, Buckley said.”
Scandals and federal indictments are nothing new
for Anthony Demasi, a Michigan native who moved
to Illinois after graduating from Georgetown Law School.
In the early 2000’s, Demasi ran the streetsof Chicago, owning multiple popular night clubs,
and a seemingly successful investment firm
before it all went wrong.
However, in 2007, Demasi’s firm, Tsunami Capital,
was charged with fraud by the US Commodity Futures
Trading Commission:
In 2009, Demasi was indicted by a federal grand jury
in Illinois over a $5 million ponzi scheme he was running:
Court documents chronicledDemasi’s unruly behavior and Adderall
abuse during the case, with the Prosecutor even correctly
predicting Demasi would return to scamming again
in the future.
Demasi plead guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison:
Demasi was then released on probation back to
Michigan in 2015:
Demasi soon took over Coker’s former non-profit,
The Beta Sole Foundation.
Beta Sole is a whole ‘nother rabbit hole itself.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/812815725
“State records show David Coker helped create the
nonprofit in 2017.
One of his daughters received a college scholarship
from it in 2020.”
The victims in Demasi’s 2023 federal indictment were
Beta Sole employees/interns.
Beta Sole was also slated to get $150,000 out of the
Clare Health Park deal for “marketing/website” work,
in addition to another $300,000 for Demasi’s financial firm.
https://www.facebook.com/BetaSoleFoundation
Demasi is now suing Coker over the whole ordeal:
Coker is also the registered agent for Goldman Analytics LLC—the address listed in the official documents is Demasi’s former residence at 417 Wilcox Parkway in Clare:
As for Kunse, whose district includes Osceola and Mecosta Counties, as well as parts of Clare County and Lake County, he is up for re-election in August.
The filing deadline is April 23rd.
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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
