Hangar42 in Court

The lead investor in a Grand Rapids-area film studio was in court Tuesday after being charged by the Michigan Attorney General's office with a felony relating to the deal.

As WZZM TV13 in Grand Rapids reports, the Mackinac Center "was the first to question the deal."

Attention was first drawn to Hangar 42 after the Mackinac Center broke the story following a months-long investigation by Center analysts, including a call for the Michigan Attorney General to investigate. Fiscal Policy Director Mike LaFaive and Communications Specialist Kathy Hoekstra raised several questions about the matter with an essay and investigative video posted May 20. At issue was the value of the proposed film studio, which those involved said was worth $40 million, even though it had been listed by a real estate agent for $10 million shortly before the deal was announced.

LaFaive, who called for an end to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Tuesday, discussed the problems with discriminatory, politically motivated tax subsidies on "The Frank Beckmann Show" on WJR 760AM.

The Daily Caller, a Washington-based political website, also took note of the Center's role in exposing questions about Hangar42.

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