Grand Rapids, MI – Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker has authorized multiple felony charges against Traci Michele Kornak, a Belmont attorney with past political ties to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, in connection with the alleged financial exploitation of an elderly woman.
Kornak is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars while serving as a court-appointed conservator for Rosene Burd, an 86-year-old woman who died in 2025 following a car accident. Prosecutors say Kornak was responsible for managing Burd’s finances and instead used that position to unlawfully take money belonging to the vulnerable adult.
In a telephone interview with WOOD Radio, Becker confirmed the most serious charge involves a six-figure range of alleged theft.
“We’ve charged her with one count of embezzlement for a vulnerable adult $50,000 to $100,000,” Becker said.
Court filings show Kornak is charged with three felony counts. The first is embezzlement from a vulnerable adult involving between $50,000 and $100,000, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 or three times the value of the money involved. She is also charged with embezzlement from a vulnerable adult involving between $1,000 and $20,000, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine or three times the value of the property. A third charge accuses her of false pretenses involving between $1,000 and $20,000, which is also a five-year felony.
Charge list and potential penalties:
• Embezzlement from a vulnerable adult ($50,000 to $100,000)
Felony — Up to 15 years in prison and/or $15,000 fine or three times the value of the money or property taken
• Embezzlement from a vulnerable adult ($1,000 to $20,000)
Felony — Up to 5 years in prison and/or $10,000 fine or three times the value of the money or property taken
• False pretenses ($1,000 to $20,000)
Felony — Up to 5 years in prison and/or $10,000 fine
Kornak previously served as treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party and was part of Dana Nessel’s transition team after Nessel was elected attorney general in 2018. Despite those connections, the case is being prosecuted by Kent County and not by the attorney general’s office.
No arraignment date has yet been scheduled. New Media Detroit will continue monitoring the case and will report when Kornak is arraigned and bond conditions, if any, are set.
Kornak is presumed innocent unless and until the charges are proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt.
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