The federal government leveled a thunderous blow against the already crumbling Kilpatrick political dynasty, as well as to Kilpatrick’s chances for release, with a 38-count indictment that carries a possible life-ending 30-year sentence. In the damning U.S. Attorney’s Office’s 89-page scorcher, Kilpatrick is accused of establishing an organized criminal enterprise that swindled taxpayers out of millions of dollars in a city that ranks among the nation’s most economically crippled, with an obsolete educational system and the highest unemployment rates of any urban area.
The indictment also seeks the heads of Kilpatrick’s inner circle, including his father (pictured standing behind Kwame with gray hair). The probe uncovered no such corruption from Kwame’s mother, ousted Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (pictured left of Kwame).
These new federal charges come while Kilpatrick is already rotting in jail for parole violation. That parole revocation stems from his failure to abide by the terms of his original jail-term release resulting from the infamous “Text-gate” scandal that removed Kilppatrick from office. Kilpatrick’s sexually-graphic text messages sent to his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, contradicted his sworn court testimony that he did not have an affair with her. It was part of another scandal, a $9 million payout, that was court ordered after police officers who were investigating corruption within Kilpatrick’s mayoral administration were deemed wrongfully terminated. As you can clearly see, the stench goes back a long way.
According to the Detroit News, the points that the feds uncovered during their years-long investigation include:
— A federal grand jury issued a 38-count federal indictment Wednesday that covered Kwame Kilpatrick’s career in public service, from the state House of Representatives in Lansing to City Hall and the racketeering conspiracy.
— Kilapatrick used a series of deals to extort tens of millions of dollars through contracts funded with taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of his family, pals and cronies.
— Members of the alleged conspiracy include his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, close friend and city contractor Bobby Ferguson, former Detroit Water and Sewerage Department director Victor Mercado and former aide and close friend Derrick Miller.
— The group faces federal charges that include racketeering, extortion, bribery, fraud and tax evasion. The charges are punishable by three to 30 years in prison, if they are convicted.
— The indictment caps a six-year federal investigation into City Hall corruption that has netted 15 felony convictions and confirms for many how Kwame Kilpatrick wielded power. It is not looking good for the home team.
“He tried to make everybody’s life as miserable as possible as if he were the king and (tried to) run everybody out of Detroit who did not come to play,” said Eric Foster, who has provided government and political consulting services in the city for years. “It’s a blessing now to have this fully exposed.”
–terry shropshire
