Labor activist wants public to pay for lawyer

DETROIT (AP) -- A Detroit-area labor activist charged with stealing money from a school district no longer can afford his attorney and wants taxpayers to pay for his defense. Doug Mullkoff has been representing Robert Davis since last fall. Mullkoff is asking a federal judge to make him court-appointed counsel at public expense. Davis is charged with stealing $125,000 from the struggling Highland Park school district. He's accused of using companies to submit false invoices and then taking a cut of the cash while on the school board. Davis tried to get the school board's insurance company to pay for his lawyer, but the company declined. Trial is set for Feb. 24. Davis is known for repeatedly suing Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit officials to stop the use of emergency managers. Published: Mon, Jan 13, 2014