Ex-Asst. AG’s Prosecutorial Mistake Results In Nearly $58.5M Judgment

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/12/2025) A federal jury has awarded nearly $58.5 million in damages to a police officer who was falsely accused by the Attorney General's office of molesting his 4-year-old daughter.

Joshua Blanchard, the attorney for plaintiff Sean MacMaster, a former Detroit police officer, said his client feels the jury has given him “real vindication” after his name and reputation had been smeared by a Michigan State Police (MSP) trooper, who is now a lieutenant, and a now-disbarred assistant attorney general.

“It’s nice to have a jury finally recognize the incredible depth of harm that was caused by the state trooper and disbarred AG,” the attorney told MIRS Tuesday afternoon. “They weren’t willing to take responsibility for their actions, but the jury held them accountable, and we appreciate their work.”

Prior to the jury verdict, which came after three weeks of trial and a day and a half of deliberations, MacMaster was offered a $800,000 settlement that was turned down.

MacMaster, who passed three polygraphs, was a police lieutenant in Florida when he was arrested in May 2019 along with his stepfather on false allegations they sexually assaulted MacMaster's daughter at the stepfather's home in Oakland County during a contentious custody battle.

The Attorney General later dropped the charges due to prosecutorial misconduct after learning former assistant attorney general Brian Kolodziej, who handled the case and abruptly resigned, was involved in an "intimate relationship" with a witness in another case in Isabella County.

MacMaster's suit alleged that Kolodziej spearheaded the charges against him to impress his ex-wife's cousin, with whom Kolodziej had become romantically involved while they worked together at the Macomb County prosecutor's office.

Also named as a defendant was then-Trooper David Busacca, who was accused of changing police reports and of ignoring evidence that showed the accusations against MacMaster were false.

Court documents alleged Busacca omitted important details as he sought criminal charges against MacMaster, including that the child first said her mother had put a “salami” inside her and that her accusations were “inconsistent, nonsensical and fantastical.”

In a blistering opinion, U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III said Busacca omitted important details, including that the child admitted to a court-appointed reunification therapist that she lied about the abuse.

According to court documents, the girl said, “Daddy never hurt me,” and that “hurt” meant “abused” in the context of the girl’s statement. She initially indicated she had stopped seeing her father “because he hurt me,” then she said, “No, that’s a lie. Daddy never hurt me. Daddy never hurt me.”

Murphy also held that Busacca relied on allegations he “knew had been found unreliable” when seeking a search warrant and that he failed to disclose “direct evidence” refuting allegations that MacMaster had photographed his daughter nude.

Murphy also said Busacca failed to disclose evidence to the court that MacMaster’s ex-wife was recorded as saying she would drop the allegations if her ex-husband would sign away his parental rights, which she described as his “get-out-of-jail-free card.”

A message seeking comment from MSP wasn’t returned.

Retired Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe, who testified during the trial, told MIRS that what MSP and Kolodziej did to MacMaster was “the biggest travesty of justice” he’s seen in his 44-plus years in law enforcement.

“I don’t say that lightly,” he noted.