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Nearly seven years after the Flint water crisis began, key players in the catastrophe are expected to be criminally charged in Michigan. The Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon that former Gov. Rick Snyder and others have been told they are being charged with crimes related to the water crisis. Here's who they are and the roles they played: Gov. Rick Snyder takes his seat before a hearing about the Flint water crisis in front of the U.S. House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform at the Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, March 17, 2016 in Washington D.C. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com Rick Snyder, 62, served two terms as the governor of Michigan from 2011 until 2019. The water crisis became Snyder's most crushing failure and he apologized for it, but the governor was not among 15 state and city employees who were initially charged by former Attorney General Bill Schuette with crimes related to Flint water. Snyder's attorney said Tuesday, Jan. 12, that current prosecutors have refused to share information about charges against him, calling their actions "a public relations smear campaign." Snyder, a Republican, played multiple roles in the water crisis. He appointed a series of emergency financial managers to run Flint city government before and during the water crisis, and those managers made decisions that resulted in the city's water source being switched to the Flint River in April 2014. Designed as a short-term, cost-cutting measure, the switch instead caused elevated levels of bacteria, lead and chlorination byproducts in tap water, and when residents complained about the smell and taste of their water, emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose refused to switch back to pre-treated Lake Huron water supplied by the city of Detroit. As governor, Snyder also appointed the directors of the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health and Human Services. Employees of both departments were charged by Schuette and former water prosecutor Todd Flood with crimes related to Flint water. The former governor was briefed in spring 2014 on the plan to change Flint's water source, and conversations within his office intensified in fall 2014 when Snyder was briefed about two boil water advisories in Flint due to fecal coliform bacteria, as well as complaints about the water's color, odor and taste. In October 2014, General Motors announced Flint River water was too corrosive to use in its manufacturing, and top legal aides to Snyder suggested that Flint be switched back to Detroit water -- something that didn't happen until a year later. Snyder eventually apologized for state government's role in the resulting emergency, but he has denied prior allegations that he was warned about risks related to the crisis and failed to act until it was brought to light publicly. Rich Baird, senior adviser to Gov. Rick Snyder, speaks with attorneys and others during a recess on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 during the preliminary examination of Nick Lyon, Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services director, in Genesee District Court in downtown Flint. Genesee District Judge David Goggins set the decision for Aug. 20 after hearing from both Flood and Bursch and deciding not to grant a motion to strike the testimony of a cardiologist who tied the deaths of two Genesee County men during the water crisis to Legionnaires' disease outbreaks here. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake MayJake May Rich Baird is a Flint native who worked as a top aide to Snyder during his administration. Baird was also never among the state and local officials initially charged with Flint water crimes by Schuette. The former senior advisor to the governor was required to give sworn testimony to prosecutors in response to an investigative subpoena and had his state-owned mobile devices and other electronic data seized in connection with the investigation in 2019. Randall Levine, who has represented Baird during the investigation, said in April that his client did everything in his power to help fix problems in Flint, but has been "unfairly vilified" by the media. In a statement Tuesday, Levine said his client has been told he will be charged for crimes related to the water crisis. "At this time, we have not been made aware of what the charges are, or how they are related to (Baird's) position with former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's administration," the statement says. Baird, who grew up in Flint, became a familiar face in the city as state officials were forced to deal with the water emergency here. In an email response to questions from MLive-The Flint Journal in 2016, he said he was always told Flint's water problems were the result of "an inordinate number of water main breaks which resulted in discolored water and over (or under) chlorination which contributed to the smell." "Every time I asked, the response was that the water meets the range established for drinking standards and the problems were being addressed," the email said. Nick Lyon, the former director of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services, listens during a hearing on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Genesee County Circuit Court in downtown Flint, over a request for Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph J. Farah to delay issuing his opinion in the criminal case against Lyon. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake May | MLive.comThe Flint Journal Nick Lyon worked as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services in Snyder's administration. Lyon was a member of Snyder's cabinet and was bound over by Genesee District Court Judge David Goggins to stand trial on two counts of involuntary manslaughter, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office. But the charges brought by Schuette and Flood were among those dismissed in 2019 by Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead the Flint water investigation. Hammoud said the original investigation was flawed and would be restarted. John Truscott, a spokesman for Lyon, said he could not comment on whether prosecutors have told attorneys for Lyon that he will be re-charged, but said "they have every reason to believe this is likely to happen." A statement from Lyon's attorneys Tuesday says if "there is any truth to the reports that Mr. Lyon may be charged with criminal offenses, it would be an absolute travesty of justice. The original charges filed in June 2017 were politically motivated and meritless, and after two years of baseless claims and personal attacks they were dismissed." During his preliminary examination, a Wayne State University researcher and professor testified that Lyon told him during a 2016 meeting about Flint water, "We can't save everyone, everyone has to die of something' ... or something similar to that." A deputy director at MDHHS who was in the same meeting in which the remark was allegedly made later contradicted that testimony. Officials at MDHHS were aware of outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area during the water crisis as well as suspicions they were related to river water but never warned the public until January 2016, the same month the water crisis was recognized as a federal public health emergency. Howard Croft, director of public works, listens during a news conference on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 at City Hall in Flint. Flint's city officials have hired Veolia Water North America as a water consultant to aid in improving Flint water quality issues, paying $40,000 to the company that will make recommendations in two weeks. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com Howard Croft was appointed by former Flint emergency manager Michael Brown to lead Flint's Public Works Department and served in that role from 2011 until November of 2015. As director of the department, Croft had responsibility for oversight of parks and recreation, street maintenance, water and sewer, garbage collection, planning, fleet management, and economic development for the city. Prosecutors charged and later dismissed counts of involuntary manslaughter, false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses against Croft, who routinely defended the quality and safety of Flint water, even as testing showed its quality was diminishing due to problems including low residual chlorine. Jamie White, the attorney representing Croft, confirmed Tuesday that he was told by prosecutors that Croft will be charged a second time, but said he has not been told what the new charges facing his client will be. "After more than two years of litigation, we failed to see a credible piece of evidence as it pertained to Mr. Croft. Most troubling is the process, or lack of due process, the prosecutors chose to pursue in this second prosecution," White said in a written statement. Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling told a Genesee District Court Judge in 2018 that he became increasingly concerned that Croft wasn't qualified to deal with water problems that had already begun to snowball in early 2015. "It was obvious to me that this was the greatest public works challenge the city was facing (and) that was not something Howard Croft had prior experience in," Walling said then. Because of the state's emergency manager law, Walling had no authority to replace Croft. MLive reporter John Tunison contributed to this report. More on MLive: Snyder attorney calls charges a 'smear campaign' Former Gov. Rick Snyder to be charged with crime in Flint water crisis, AP reports Flint residents 'hopeful' water crisis charges against Snyder, other officials will bring justice As Flint was slowly poisoned, Snyder's inner circle failed to act Top aide to former Gov. Rick Snyder calls for end to Flint water criminal investigation A history of Flint's emergency managers If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.