AG Nessel charges Farmington Hills nonprofit leader with 16 felonies involving $20M grant

Key Points:

• Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged Fay Beydoun, a Farmington Hills businesswoman, with 16 felonies related to the alleged theft and fraudulent use of a $20 million state grant awarded to her company, Global Link International (GLI).
• Beydoun, who founded GLI as a nonprofit to attract international entrepreneurs to Michigan, is accused of using the grant funds for personal enrichment, including maintaining a $550,000 annual salary, and misrepresenting expenses to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
• Charges against Beydoun include conducting a criminal enterprise, multiple counts of uttering and publishing false documents, forgery, and larceny by conversion, with potential prison terms ranging from 5 to 20 years.
• The investigation revealed Beydoun submitted false invoices and receipts, used grant funds for personal legal expenses, home decor, and private dinners, and submitted false reports to avoid grant termination.
• The MEDC terminated the grant in March 2025 after financial irregularities surfaced, and the Attorney General’s office froze over $6.3 million in related funds in September 2025; the investigation into GLI’s funding and administration is ongoing.