FLINT, MI -- A former Pontiac police officer who operates a Grand Blanc-based security firm has pleaded guilty to using fake Federal Bureau of Investigation credentials to secure discounted government rates at hotels.
John Hamilton Wood IV pleaded guilty Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Flint U.S. District Court to possession of imitation federal identification following an investigation by the FBI.
Wood's attorney, Troy-based Gerald J. Gleeson II declined to comment.
Court records show that Wood turned over the fraudulent identification April 25 to federal agents at a security company on South Saginaw Road in Grand Blanc.
Wood could not be reached for comment. Representatives with the security company could not be reached for comment.
The federal government offers an $83 lodging per diem for employees that is honored by many hotels. The per diem rate is used by government travelers to obtain hotel rooms at a standard discount, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. The discounted rate allows federal employees to save upward of $50 per night at some Flint-area hotels.
FBI officials say they began the investigation after they received complaints about Wood. Wood is not associated in any way with the FBI, according to court records.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Michigan declined to comment on the facts of the case beyond what was included in the public court records.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 18. The charge, a misdemeanor, carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and up to six months of supervised release.
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