A West Bloomfield businessman has been charged federally after authorities say he convinced investors to pour millions of dollars into a sprawling $3 billion sports and entertainment complex near Detroit Metro Airport that was never going to be built. Kenneth Bardwell, 66, was hit with one count of wire fraud following an investigation into his company, Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc., and several related business entities he operated.
According to federal prosecutors, Bardwell began soliciting investors back in 2018 for what he described as a massive development project in Romulus. He told people their money would go toward purchasing land and getting the project off the ground, and he offered what sounded like a safety net: if the land deal fell through, investors would get their money back from an escrow account. That promise, officials say, was nothing more than a sales pitch designed to open wallets.
Investigators allege that Bardwell never made any real effort to buy land or move the project forward. Instead, they say he funneled investor funds into a very different kind of lifestyle, spending heavily at gentlemen’s clubs, on luxury retail goods, rental cars, and other personal expenses for himself and his associates. The money that was supposed to build a landmark entertainment destination instead apparently bankrolled a personal spending spree.
The FBI is now asking anyone who invested money with Bardwell or Motown Sports Group Holdings to come forward as the investigation continues. Authorities believe there may be additional victims who have not yet been identified, and agents are working to determine the full scope of the alleged scheme.