Eric Sabree — Wayne County Treasurer
Position
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Eric R. Sabree |
| Title | Wayne County Treasurer (elected) |
| In office since | April 2016 |
| Additional role | Wayne County Land Bank Chairman |
| Jurisdiction | Wayne County — tax foreclosure and surplus-retention authority |
Sabree’s elected office controls the county tax foreclosure pipeline: delinquent-property auctions, surplus funds, and coordination with the Wayne County Land Bank.
Family Connections — Judicial Dynasty
| Person | Role | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Judge Aliyah Sabree | Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court (Family Division) | Daughter — appointed May 2025 |
| Judge Adam Sabree | 36th District Court | Son — elected November 2022 |
| Eric R. Sabree | Wayne County Treasurer + Land Bank Chair | Father |
Two of Sabree’s children now sit on the bench — one in Family Division custody cases, one on the 36th District Court alongside Judge Tenisha Yancey and Judge Sean Perkins . See Institutional Capture for how the Sabree family supplies judicial cover while the treasurer’s office controls the foreclosure mechanism.
FBI Investigation (2019)
Detroit News (Mar 15, 2019): “The FBI is looking into land deals by the family of Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree.” FBI Special Agent Mara Schneider “neither confirmed nor denied the existence of an investigation.”
| Finding | Detail |
|---|---|
| Family bidding | County rules banned family members from tax auctions — violation confirmed by Detroit News reporting |
| Wife’s purchases | Wife Badriyyah bought Harper Woods homes at a 2011 tax auction while Sabree was deputy treasurer coordinating the sale |
| Delinquent taxes | 10 family properties owed $29,000 in delinquent taxes — paid off 10 days after Detroit News inquired |
| Son as bidder | Son Judge Adam Sabree listed as auction bidder in the 2017 Wayne County tax auction while Eric Sabree administered the sale |
| Ethics complaint | Filed by County Exec Warren Evans — dismissed 5–1 (Jul 2019) by Wayne County Board of Ethics on technicality |
FBI investigation outcome never publicly reported. No indictment. No exoneration.
Sources: Detroit News (Feb 12, Mar 15, Jul 10, 2019); Metro Times (Jul 10, 2019)
Bowles v. Sabree — Active Class Action
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Case | Bowles v. Sabree, 2:23-cv-10973 |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan |
| Claims | Constitutional violations in tax auction and surplus-retention practices |
| Status | Active — discovery ongoing |
| 6th Circuit | “Wayne County violated the law. It did.” |
Federal litigation continues over Wayne County’s handling of foreclosure surplus funds under Sabree’s treasurer’s office.
Metro Property Group — RICO Connection
Metro Property Group, LLC faces RICO-level fraud allegations in Llewellyn-Jones v. Metro Property Group, LLC, 2:13-cv-11977 (E.D. Mich.): purchased thousands of Detroit foreclosed homes for $500–$5,000, sold to foreign investors at inflated prices, misrepresented condition, forged lease documents.
| Connection | Detail |
|---|---|
| Judge Adam Sabree | Confirmed — in-house counsel for Metro Property Group before bench; see Adam Sabree |
| Eric Sabree’s nephew (through marriage) | Alleged — reported to have run Metro Property Group; identity and operational role NOT independently confirmed in this repository |
| Foreclosure pipeline | Metro Property Group exploited the same tax-foreclosure pipeline Eric Sabree’s office administers |
Wayne County Land Bank — Yancey Connection
Before her judicial career, Judge Tenisha Yancey was a project manager at the Wayne County Land Bank (approximately 2007–2013), overseeing foreclosure-related programs.
| Connection | Detail |
|---|---|
| Same entity | The Land Bank is chaired by Wayne County Treasurer Eric R. Sabree |
| Foreclosure pipeline | Land Bank processes foreclosures tied to Sabree’s treasurer operations — the same pipeline Metro Property Group and family members were investigated for exploiting |
| MacDowell overlap | Yancey chairs MacDowell Preparatory Academy board while sitting on 36th District Court with two Sabree-family judges |
Connection to Banks Network
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| Judicial cover | Sabree family supplies two sitting judges ( Judge Aliyah Sabree , Judge Adam Sabree ) to the network’s judicial tier |
| Foreclosure pipeline | Treasurer’s office processes tax foreclosures → distressed properties → acquisition opportunities documented in Institutional Capture |
| MSU Law overlap | Daughter Judge Aliyah Sabree is MSU Law 2010 classmate of Brian Roderick Banks — same graduation year as Banks’ claimed J.D.; she passed the bar; Banks was denied |
| 36th District concentration | Son Judge Adam Sabree sits on same court as Judge Tenisha Yancey (MacDowell board chair; paid Banks Strategy LLC) and Judge Sean Perkins |
Direct financial ties between Eric Sabree and Brian Roderick Banks are NOT confirmed in available records. The connection is structural: family members on the bench + office control of the foreclosure infrastructure that feeds the enterprise’s property-distress pipeline.
Verify
- Wayne County Treasurer office: 🏛️ Wayne Treasurer
- Election and office history: 📚 Ballotpedia : Eric Sabree
- FBI investigation and tax auction ethics: 📰 Detroit News (Feb–Jul 2019)
- Bowles v. Sabree: ⚖️ PACER — Bowles v. Sabree, 2:23-cv-10973
- Metro Property Group RICO case: ⚖️ PACER — Llewellyn-Jones v. Metro Property Group, 2:13-cv-11977
- Land Bank / Yancey background: 📚 Ballotpedia : Tenisha Yancey
- Related judges: Aliyah Sabree, Adam Sabree, Tenisha Yancey
All sources are public records and published news reports.