Lansing, MI - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced that Carl Marlinga will lead the Elder Abuse Task Force as a Special Assistant Attorney General.
Carl Marlinga formerly served as a judge of 16th Circuit Court in Macomb County until earlier this year and served on the Macomb County Probate Court for the six-year term beginning January 1, 2013. Judge Marlinga enjoyed a long and distinguished career in private practice before joining the bench and served as the elected prosecutor of Macomb County for nearly two decades.
“Judge Marlinga’s wealth of experience and knowledge makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Elder Abuse Task Force and help guide its efforts to better the lives of Michigan seniors,” said Nessel. “Specifically, his service on the bench, as a county prosecutor, and as a former member of probate court, is exactly the kind of background needed to help improve laws around guardianship and strengthen protections against exploitation. I am proud of the accomplishments of the Task Force and look forward to its achievements with Judge Marlinga at the helm.”
Judge Carl Marlinga said: “I am excited and incredibly honored to join Attorney General Dana Nessel and the distinguished members of the Elder Abuse Task Force in their selfless efforts to protect those who by reason of physical illness, mental decline, or isolation have become the target of unscrupulous predators. This task force has accomplished great things in a short time. Attorney General Nessel is to be commended for making this work a priority.”
Michigan’s Elder Abuse Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sections – all working together to combat elder abuse.
The EATF championed the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act (FEPA) took effect Sept. 26. Its passage last year was part of the Task Force’s First Set of Initiatives, while providing comprehensive training to implement the Act is part of the second set.
The Act requires financial institutions to report suspected or detected covered financial exploitation of vulnerable adults to adult protective services or law enforcement. FEPA also requires financial institutions to implement training for employees to recognize common types and signs of financial exploitation.
Background
Judge Marlinga began his professional career as an associate with the Law Offices of Paul L. Nine, which later became the Nine and Maister Law Firm of Bloomfield Hills. He was also an associate with the law firm of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn of Detroit. In 1982 he became a partner with the Southfield law firm of Bushnell Gage Doctoroff and Reizen.
Judge Marlinga previously served as the prosecuting attorney for Macomb County, having been elected to that position in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000.
Judge Marlinga also served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and a Special Trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department’s Organized Crime Strike Force, assigned to the Detroit office. As an Assistant United States Attorney, he was awarded a commendation by the United States Attorney General for his work in white collar crime prosecutions involving frauds perpetrated on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
He was instrumental in establishing the Macomb Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (S.A.N.E.) program to allow prompt examination and support services for victims of criminal sexual conduct. He also was a founding board member of Care House, which provides similar services to child victims of criminal sexual conduct.
Judge Marlinga is a 1968 graduate of the University of Detroit where he was awarded an A.B. degree. He earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Marlinga has worked as an adjunct professor for the Wayne State University criminal justice department, teaching Constitutional Criminal Procedure and the American Court System.
Judge Marlinga and his wife Barbara reside in Sterling Heights.