Eric Sabree

"It sure stinks of nepotism and it sure stinks of favoritism." -Brendan Dunleavy, former Wayne County auditor general

Eric Sabree

Nepotism and Hiring Controversies

Preferential Hiring of County Executive's Wife

In 2017, shortly after receiving an endorsement from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans during his campaign for treasurer, Sabree promoted Evans' then-girlfriend (later wife) Renata Seals from a $60,000 contract position to a full-time role with a $70,000 salary and benefits. Seals-Evans had no prior government experience or college degree. Investigations uncovered multiple financial judgments against Seals-Evans, including from debt collectors and apartment complexes, despite her role advising residents on tax payments and foreclosure prevention. Despite these facts, Sabree admitted he "didn't consider anyone else" for the position.

Following media investigations by WXYZ-TV in May 2017, Seals-Evans resigned her position citing ethical concerns.

County Executive's Hiring of Sabree's Son

Shortly after Sabree's hiring of Evans' wife, Evans' legal division hired Sabree's son, Adam Sabree, as an assistant corporation counsel at $58,000 per year. While both offices maintained the timing was coincidental, former Wayne County Auditor General Brendan Dunleavy characterized these arrangements as "stinking of nepotism and favoritism."

While long-time county workers went without raises for years, connected individuals appeared to received preferential treatment, promotions, and salary increases.

Tax Auction Scandal (2019)

In February 2019, investigations by the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News revealed that Sabree's family members had purchased tax-foreclosed properties through Wayne County's tax foreclosure auction in violation of his office's own rules.

Key findings from the investigations included:

• A real estate company called U.S. Development Services, co-founded by Sabree and run by his wife, purchased multiple properties through auctions overseen by Sabree's office
• Sabree's wife Badriyyah accumulated approximately $58,000 in delinquent property taxes on multiple properties, which were only paid off after media inquiries
• Some properties owned by family members had been delinquent long enough to qualify for foreclosure but were not foreclosed upon, including a vacant west side lot that should have been sold at auction according to state law
• Sabree's son Adam was listed as a successful bidder in 2017 despite being banned from participating and owing delinquent taxes himself
• The family engaged in property flipping, including one case where Sabree's nephew bought a property for $500, sold it to Sabree's son for $1, who then sold it for $1,500

When confronted, Sabree claimed he wasn't personally involved in the transactions, though he was listed as a member of U.S. Development Services. He called his office's own rules barring family participation "intrusive and unrealistic" and suggested changing them rather than enforcing compliance. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans called for an ethics review of the purchases.

The scandal highlighted systemic issues with Wayne County's tax foreclosure system. Between 2005-2017, approximately 150,000 Detroit properties (one-third of all properties in the city) went through tax foreclosure. Critics noted that while the treasurer's office took a hard line with struggling homeowners, different standards appeared to apply to insiders and speculators.

Calls for Resignation

The Detroit Free Press Editorial Board called for Sabree's resignation, arguing he had "forfeited the public trust." Property data expert Jerry Paffendorf of Loveland Technologies argued that the entire office's leadership needed to be replaced and made more transparent.