Before entering local politics and community activism, Leon El-Alamin (formerly known as Leon Wilson) was involved in drug dealing in Flint, Michigan, and was once shot and left in a coma during a turf dispute. Following his recovery, he was convicted on felony firearm and drug distribution charges, serving roughly seven years in prison from 2003 to 2010. After his release, he co-founded the M.A.D.E. Institute to support formerly incarcerated individuals. In April 2021, his prior criminal record was formally cleared under Michigan's expanded Clean Slate Act.
El-Alamin's current legal troubles stem from two separate criminal cases that he resolved via a plea deal on November 12, 2026, according to local coverage from MLive and Flint Beat. In the first case, he pleaded no contest to felony assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and misdemeanor domestic violence after prosecutors accused him of dragging, punching, and choking his former girlfriend during a July 2025 dispute in Mount Morris Township. In the second case, he pleaded guilty to a felony count of election law false swearing, admitting that he falsely listed an East Mott Avenue rental property in Flint as his residence on his April 2024 candidacy affidavit while actually living outside the city. Under a court agreement, he faces two years of probation with no upfront jail time and is scheduled to be formally sentenced on January 4, 2027.
