When Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder finally declared the city of Flinta state of emergency in January, many wondered how longstate officials knew about the conditions of the city's water supply. After multiple investigations and congressional hearings, the governor is now facing a racketeering lawsuit in regards to the Flint water crisis.

Snyder's legal issues

In 2011, the water supply in Flint was transferred from Lake Huron to the Flint River in an attempt to save up to $2 million a year. The water in the Flint River was never required to be treated with corrosion control agents, and was found to be up to 20 times more corrosive than the water in Lake Huron.

Despite complaints from residents, nothing was done about the water until 2015, but by then, the damage was already done. As reported by The Guardian on April, hundreds of residents have decided to come together and file a lawsuit against Snyder and other state officials who claim they concocted an "international scheme" against Flint.

The lawsuit argues that Michigan ran Flint by prioritizing the city's budget over the people. The 17 count racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) complaint was announced on Wednesday at a press conference.

Attorney Chet Kern said that the state just "wanted to save money," despite having an option of to use a "time-tested" and "well-honed" bankruptcy protection. A statement was delivered to a federal court, where the attorneys' claimed the state, through their emergency managers, balanced "the Flint City budget through a pattern of racketeering activity." It's unknown how much money is being sought for the case, but estimates for the repayment of water bills could be as high as $50 million or more.

Snyder's big problems

Reports released earlier this year show that Snyder had an opportunity to rebuild the state, and Flint's infrastructure, but instead opted to give corporations a $1.7 billion annual tax cut. Snyder was pressed on the issue during an interview on CNN, but quickly deflected the blame to other parts of the state government.

Snyder was once again put on the spot during a hearing in Congress in March, where he all but admitted his wrongdoing in the water crisis. Snyder's admission was further validated after a report was released last month by the Flint Water Advisory Task Force, that concluded that blame should be directed in many areas, starting at the doorstep of the GOP governor of Michigan.
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