On March 17, the FBI raided a Michigan jewelry store once associated with
a bribery case.

FBI Detroit agent Sandra Berchtold confirmed with JCK that the agency conducted a search of
Zeidman’s Jewelry and Loan in Southfield, Mich., March 17.

“The affidavit for that search is sealed by federal court,
so I can not comment on the details,” Berchtold says. The search was
finished before noon.

Zeidman’s attorney Jennifer Belveal tells JCK the company is not part of an
investigation, despite the raid. “Zeidman’s is cooperating fully with the
authorities and it does not anticipate any disruption of its business,” Belveal says. “It is business as usual.”

The jewelry store had been linked to a bribery case in 2010 that
led to the imprisonment of a former Southfield city councilman and a political
consultant. Former Southfield councilman William Lattimore was accused
of taking a bribe from political consultant Sam Riddle and former state representative Mary Waters to help relocate Zeidman’s Jewelry and Loan in
Southfield. Lattimore was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June 2010, according
to local news sources.

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