Former Leelanau Prosecutor Charged
Clarence Gomery, a well-known Traverse City attorney and the man who once served as the Leelanau County prosecutor and also assistant prosecutor in Grand Traverse County, has been arraigned on charges of soliciting murder.
According to police, Gomery attempted to hire someone to murder Christopher Cooke, the attorney who represented Gomery’s ex business partner, Fred Topous, in a 2012 lawsuit against Gomery. Topous sued Gomery for fraud and malpractice over a business deal that went bad.
Topous, who had won $57 million in the lottery, was urged by Gomery to purchase the Mitchell Creek Golf Course. The deal, which Gomery structured, required that Topous pay for the property himself out of his winnings, but Gomery retained 50% ownership and interest.
A jury convicted Gomery of fraud and malpractice after a 6 day trial, and Circuit Court Judge Thomas Power ordered that Gomery pay a substantial portion of Topous’ attorney’s fees. Gomery ended up owing almost $350,000, and he filed for bankruptcy just a few months later.
According to court records, on July 10th, Gomery attempted to hire Dale Fisher to murder Cooke for $20,000. The meeting between Gomery and Fisher took place in Gomery’s law office. Three days later, Gomery gave Fisher $1,000 to purchase a gun.
According to Bob Cooney, the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor, Fisher will not be facing charges. Fisher took it upon himself to warn Cooke that Gomery was attempting to contract with someone to kill him. Together, Cooke and Fisher made the report to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department.
“We have been adversarial attorneys in a few cases,” Cooke told the press. He would not elaborate further on the case, or any aspect of their relationship beyond that.
Gomery was arrested in the early hours of the morning on Monday, July 14th, and arraigned in the 86th District Court in Traverse City, before Judge Michael Stepka. He waived a formal reading of the charges.
Gomery’s legal representative in court requested a reasonable bail, citing the fact that he is not a flight risk. However, the judge stated that he felt that Gomery is a risk to public safety, and jailed him on a bond of 5 million dollars.
The Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission intends to review Gomery’s case.