PODCAST:
Aug. 31, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick, Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds speak with Detroit News reporter Beth LeBlanc about her reporting on the state’s initiating a probe into two grants given to the American Arab Chamber after money went missing.
LANSING ~ Two state grants made to the American Arab Chamber of Commerce are currently under the review by Michigan State Budget Office due to unaccounted-for funds in the organization.
Attorney General Dana Nessel launched an investigation into alleged embezzlement by former chamber Executive Director Bilal Hammoud, who was fired on Aug. 21 after the chamber accused him of diverting over $1 million of its funds to a bank account he controlled. The budget office is reviewing all grants they may have been used for “inappropriate activity.”
The two grants in question were awarded to the chamber’s business incubator and innovation hub Tejara, which received over $3.4 million Michigan Economic Development Corp. between 2023 and 2026 in three installments. The hub also received over $217,000 of a $820,080 grant last year by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to help improve internet access.
