Lobbyist gets 2 years in prison for Michigan marijuana bribery scheme

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A lobbyist has been sentenced to two years in prison for bribing the head of a Michigan marijuana licensing board. Brian Pierce was responsible for $42,000 passing to Rick Johnson. Johnson was formerly known as a powerful Republican lawmaker before he was picked to lead the marijuana board, from 2017 to 2019. The board reviewed and approved applications to grow and sell marijuana for medical purposes. Johnson was recently sentenced to more than four years in prison for accepting $110,000.