Michigan man scams state, governor for $9 million tax break

Michigan is desperate to find jobs for its unemployed, perhaps overly so, if the tax break given to Richard Allen Short is any indication. Short shared the podium with Gov. Jennifer Granolm recently to announce that his company was receiving a $9.1 million tax break to help him hire 765 people to carry out his plan to make green energy and waste-handling equipment that he would ship to needy villagers in Africa.

The problem, according to the Detroit Free Press, is that Short is a notorious con man who has spend years in jail for embezzling, a fact uncovered in a quick Internet search by a process server in Flint. Patrick Clawson uncovered Short's sordid past, which included embezzling $21,000 to buy his girl an engagement ring and having a woman pose as his wife to qualify for a $73,000 loan. He still owns $96,000 in court-mandated restitution.