When the State of Michigan awarded a contract to the Upper Peninsula Shipbuilding Co. to replace the ageing car ferries, Maritime Unions, vessel operators and shipbuilders made false allegations of bribery and theft of opportunity that generated three grand jury investigations. After the Estate of UPSCO sued the State of Michigan for $63,900,000, a fourth grand jury brought 11 specious counts for mail, wire, tax and conspiracy fraud that resulted in Robert Fischl’s conviction on 6 counts. Nine appeals filed by Fischl and his co-defendant, none of which resulted in acquittal, have generated exculpatory evidence that proves that no taxes were owed, no mail fraud was committed, and cancelled checks did not constitute stolen securities. Perjured testimony suborned by the government placed Fischl in his office while a travel report held by the grand jury recorded his meetings with banks that was withheld by the prosecutor at trial. In 2020, the travel report was misrepresented by yet another prosecutor to allege Fischl had returned to his office despite two affidavits from participants in a phone conversation that failed to corroborate the suborned perjury. A complaint in the hands of the Executive Office of US Attorneys is being investigated.
Robert Fischl grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967. He was selected to the Inter-collegiate Yacht Racing Association of North America All American Team on June 8, 1967. He served on two different Destroyers and made four combat tours to Vietnam. He graduated from the University of Michigan with an MBA and then worked as a Loan Officer at First Chicago Bank. He is a CPA. He spent three years with a chemical transportation company. He formed the Upper Peninsula Shipbuilding Co. in 1979 and contracted with the State of Michigan to provide a tugboat and four rail-carrying forebodies for a “drop and swap” operation that was projected to eliminate an $8 million subsidy. The $40,000,000 contract was obstructed by vessel changes that resulted in a $63, 900,000 million overrun. Fischl resigned from the US Naval Reserves as a Lt Commander in 1981. Fischl was indicted on 11 counts in 1984 and was convicted on six of them involving tax, mail, wire and conspiracy having nothing to do with his management of receipts from the State. In 2023 he filed a complaint with the Justice Department, accusing the prosecutor of suborning perjury and committing fraud upon the court with the assistance of rogue federal agents and federal prosecutors.