A public body charged with helping vulnerable people elected a convicted sex offender to its board of directors in November.
The Detroit Continuum of Care (CoC) is a body that helps ensure unhoused and vulnerable people in Detroit have access to shelter and housing programs. Its board elected Alan Rosetto, 46, to a three-year, at-large seat — just months after he was released from parole for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter. Rosetto pleaded guilty to the crime in 2019.
Rosetto’s application for the board is undated, but before the November vote, staff prepared a profile of him and four other candidates for three open seats. The applications do not ask about past convictions, and there is no indication board members knew about Rosetto’s.
He earned enough votes to secure an at-large seat. Board leadership is now seeking legal advice to determine what next steps, if any, they will take. He remains on the board.
Rosetto told Outlier he will be releasing a statement and did not respond to questions.
A loophole big enough for a predator
At the time of his conviction, Rosetto did not take full responsibility for the crime he pleaded guilty to: third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Rosetto relies on a wheelchair for mobility. Court records indicate that while he admitted the sexual act occurred, Rosetto told the court his lack of mobility made him a “participant,” rather than the perpetrator. The victim of the crime was described in court records as Rosetto’s stepdaughter, then 13 years old. The judge in his trial noted that “a minor between the ages of 13 and 16 could not consent,” and Rosetto’s characterization of his role as participant was inaccurate.
During the CoC’s board meeting in November, all applicants for the board gave short speeches just minutes before members voted.
In a résumé attached to the application, Rosetto described his relevant experience as both personal and professional, including having experienced “multiple types of homelessness.” In addition to an organization he said he founded in 2022, Friends United for Elevated Living (F.U.E.L.), Rosetto’s application said he managed multiple homeless shelters and programs in multiple states, including Indiana and Illinois.
As Rosetto spoke, board member Taura Brown said she conducted a quick Google search of Rosetto’s name and found news articles about his criminal conviction.
“These crimes just happened in 2017 and 2018, which to some might seem like a long time ago, but not to me,” said Brown, who did not alert other board members of her findings until four days after members voted. She did not vote for Rosetto. (Editor’s note: Taura Brown is a member of our Detroit Documenters network.)
“I didn’t want to accuse him and something happened with the case that exonerated him or something,” Brown told Outlier Media. In the days after the election but prior to votes being tallied, Brown sent an email to other board members with information about Rosetto’s conviction and expressing her concerns should he be elected.
Tasha Gray is the executive director of Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND), the lead agency for the CoC, which provides technical, administrative and meeting support to the board.
“The CoC does not run a background on any board member nor does the CoC require board members to disclose their criminal background,” Gray said in an email.
Six people were elected to fill at-large and homeless provider seats at the November meeting.
There is not a requirement that CoC board members interact with members of the public or the people the board is meant to serve. Board members don’t have many specific duties aside from attending meetings and to “represent the board in a positive manner.”
Rosetto remains on the board
After board members voted for new members but before there was an official tally of the votes, information about Rosetto’s crime circulated around the board and members began to express concern.
Board member Sarah Prout Rennie is executive director of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. In emails she wrote in November that were later obtained by Outlier, she expressed concern about Rosetto’s dishonesty.
“If this gentleman had said I am a sex offender and I am concerned about the amount of sex offenders who are homeless that might have been different- however he represented his homelessness to be about his disability. That would normally be a violation of ethical standards,” Rennie wrote at the time.
She later told Outlier, “Had Risotto been honest about his sex offender status, I and many others would not have voted for him.
“Victims of sexual assault and other survivors of violence will not feel heard or may not seek assistance from a housing body that elects a sex offender in such a position of power,” she added. “Sexual assault victims are already disbelieved by society. It adds insult to injury to give a sex offender power over housing policy.”
Brown said she wants the CoC to amend its charter. She told Outlier she wants individuals who are ineligible for public housing — such as some sex offenders — to also be ineligible for a seat on the board.
The next CoC board meeting is Monday.
This story first appeared in Outlier Media.
