by Chris Peterson
Former Bay City State Theatre director Mike Bacigalupo has been charged with wire fraud in federal court, accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud multiple organizations between June 2020 and November 2023.
According to a criminal complaint filed on August 27, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Bacigalupo is alleged to have improperly obtained funds from the Bay City State Theatre, the Bay City Michigan Historical Society, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Prosecutors claim grant funds that were intended for community projects, including improvements to Wenonah Park, were misdirected through false representations.
The complaint states Bacigalupo used interstate email communications to carry out the alleged fraud, a detail that places the case under federal jurisdiction. If convicted, he could be required to forfeit any proceeds tied to the scheme, with penalties potentially reaching the full value of the funds obtained.
Bacigalupo previously served as executive director of the State Theatre and also worked as Bay City’s special event coordinator. He was dismissed from his theatre position in late 2023 amid financial mismanagement concerns. In March 2024, the theatre filed for bankruptcy and later reopened under new ownership in October.
The FBI began investigating financial irregularities in 2023 after concerns arose about how grant money was handled. One focal point of the probe was the alleged redirection of MEDC funding. According to court filings, documents tied to grant administration showed changes that shifted intended recipients from city projects to the State Theatre, a move investigators say was done without proper authorization.
For Bay City residents, the news adds another chapter to a turbulent period for one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. The State Theatre, with its Art Deco design and restored marquee, has long been a centerpiece of downtown. Originally built in 1908 and reimagined in 1930 with the iconic Mayan Revival style façade, it has hosted everything from vaudeville shows to film screenings and community performances. The venue’s 2000s restoration brought new life to the building, with many crediting Bacigalupo himself for helping guide that revival. His fall from grace, now marked by federal charges, highlights the fragile line between revitalization and ruin.
The theatre’s bankruptcy in 2024 was a low point, with creditors unpaid and scheduled performances canceled. But its sale later that year to new ownership allowed the space to reopen. Since then, efforts have been made to assure the community that operations are stable and transparent, a promise that will now face even greater scrutiny as the former director stands accused of defrauding the very institution he once led.
As of now, no arraignment date has been set. Both Bacigalupo and prosecutors have declined to comment publicly on the charges.
Stories like this remind me why I often say theatres are more than buildings. They are repositories of trust. A community invests not only its dollars but also its memories in these places, and when that trust is broken, the wound lingers. Learning about the charges against Bacigalupo made me think about how quickly a legacy can shift from one of celebration to one of controversy. For years, his name was tied to the theatre’s rebirth, and now it is tied to its undoing.
And yet, what stands out most to me is not the collapse but the resilience. The State Theatre has already reopened, its lights glowing again above Washington Avenue. That act alone speaks louder than any single individual’s failings. It is a reminder that theatres, like the art they host, are meant to endure. Communities can recover, rebuild, and reimagine even after betrayal.
While the legal proceedings will determine Bacigalupo’s personal fate, the theatre’s story is still being written. My hope is that the next chapter will be one of stability and honesty, that the stage will once again be a place of wonder rather than scandal, and that the people of Bay City will see their theatre restored not only in its architecture but in the faith it inspires. The charges against its former director may cast a shadow, but the lights on the marquee still shine, and that, perhaps, is the real story worth holding onto.
