The Many Legal Troubles Of Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, born on June 8, 1970, is an American former politician and convicted felon who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. During his time in office, Kilpatrick was involved in several scandals and controversies, including the use of city funds for personal expenses, allegations of assault, and abuse of power. However, it was the text-messaging scandal in 2008 that ultimately led to his resignation and criminal charges. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and assaulting a police officer and was sentenced to jail time. Since then, he has faced additional charges and convictions for various crimes, including racketeering, extortion, bribery, and fraud. As a result, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison, although this sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021.

Kwame Kilpatrick's abuse of power

Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, abused his power in a multitude of ways, including bribery, extortion, fraud, racketeering, and obstruction of justice.

Kilpatrick's abuse of power began early in his tenure as mayor. In 2002, he used his influence to funnel state grant money to two organisations run by his friends, which then subcontracted work to a company owned by his wife, Carlita. This company, U.N.I.T.E., received $175,000 from these organisations.

In 2005, Kilpatrick, along with his chief of staff Christine Beatty and the chief of police, allegedly used their positions to help an influential Baptist minister get his case dismissed. The minister had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute, but due to the intervention of Kilpatrick and his associates, the arresting officer was pressured not to show up in court, resulting in the case's dismissal.

Kilpatrick also engaged in nepotism and preferential hiring, appointing around 100 of his closest friends and family members to positions within various city departments. This practice, known as "the friends and family plan," led to the hiring of individuals with little to no experience and even those who falsified their résumés. Kilpatrick's cousin, Patricia Peoples, was appointed deputy director of human resources, enabling her to hire more of Kilpatrick's friends and family without it being viewed as a mayoral appointment.

In addition, Kilpatrick was criticised for his extravagant spending of city funds. He used city money to lease a vehicle for his family and charged thousands of dollars' worth of spa massages, dining, and expensive wines to his city-issued credit card.

The extent of Kilpatrick's abuse of power was further revealed through text messages obtained by the Detroit Free Press in 2008. These messages exposed his lies under oath regarding an extramarital affair with Beatty and the firing of a deputy police chief, leading to a scandal and his eventual resignation.

Kilpatrick's actions had a significant impact on the city of Detroit, with Special Agent Robert Beeckman stating that Kilpatrick "pervasively and systematically corrupted city government." His abuse of power led to a federal sentence of 28 years in prison, although this was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021 after Kilpatrick had served 76 months.

Kilpatrick's misuse of city funds

Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, the 72nd mayor of Detroit, was convicted of several crimes, including misusing city funds.

During his first term as mayor, Kilpatrick was criticised for using city funds to lease a Lincoln Navigator for his family and charging thousands of dollars' worth of spa massages, extravagant dining, and expensive wines to his city-issued credit card. Kilpatrick paid back $9,000 of the $210,000 credit card charges.

In 2001, Kilpatrick used his influence while in the Michigan legislature to funnel state grant money to two organisations run by his friends. Both organisations agreed to subcontract work to U.N.I.T.E., a company owned by Kilpatrick's wife, Carlita. She was the firm's only employee, and the firm received $175,000 from the organisations.

In 2008, Kilpatrick was accused of using his position to help an influential Baptist minister, Mangedwa Nyathi, who had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute, get his case dismissed. The mayor and police chief allegedly called the arresting officer, Antoinette Bostic, to persuade her not to show up in court, which would have forced the judge to dismiss the case. Bostic ignored her supervisors and appeared in court.

In 2008, a Detroit Free Press article revealed that Kilpatrick had appointed about 100 of his closest friends and family to positions within various city departments. This hiring practice became known as 'the friends and family plan'. Although political appointments are not illegal, the sheer volume of Kilpatrick's appointments, compared to all the appointments made by Detroit mayors since 1970, along with Kilpatrick's cutting of thousands of city jobs, made his appointments controversial.

In 2008, Kilpatrick was also accused of assaulting a police officer. Wayne County Sheriff's Detective Brian White and Joanne Kinney, an investigator from the Wayne County Prosecutor's office, went to the home of Kilpatrick's sister to serve a subpoena. Kilpatrick came out of the house with his bodyguards and pushed the sheriff's deputy with significant force.

In 2010, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 18 months to five years in state prison for violating his probation by hiding assets to evade paying $1 million in restitution to the City of Detroit.

The FBI's investigation into Kilpatrick

The FBI opened an investigation into Kwame Kilpatrick in 2004, two years after he became mayor of Detroit. Special Agent Robert Beeckman, who led the investigation, said that "initially, we had sources and a few cooperating defendants from other cases who revealed a pay-to-play scheme and that the mayor was behind it".

The investigation revealed that Kilpatrick and his contractor friend Bobby Ferguson had established a "pay-to-play" system, which allowed them to break the law with impunity. Kilpatrick extorted city vendors, rigged bids, and took bribes. He also used funds from non-profit civic organizations to enrich himself and his family.

A significant breakthrough in the case came when investigators discovered that Kilpatrick's cell phone provider had kept an archive of all his text messages. These messages provided explicit evidence of Kilpatrick's criminal activities, including bid rigging and bribes.

Investigators also uncovered a paper trail, which showed that Kilpatrick had made over $840,000 in unexplained expenditures above his salary as mayor, none of which was disclosed on his tax returns. Kilpatrick's bank records revealed that he had stopped making withdrawals from his account and instead made large cash deposits.

In March 2013, Kilpatrick was found guilty of a wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy. In October 2013, he was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison.

In total, 32 others were also convicted of crimes in connection with the case, including Kilpatrick's friend Bobby Ferguson, who received a 21-year jail term.

Kilpatrick's prison sentence

Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, was convicted of several felonies and served multiple prison sentences.

In 2008, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice and one felony count of assaulting a police officer. He was sentenced to four months in jail and was released on probation after serving 99 days.

In 2010, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 18 months to five years in state prison for violating his probation by hiding assets to evade paying $1 million in restitution to the City of Detroit. He served this sentence at the Oaks Correctional Facility in northwest Michigan.

In 2013, Kilpatrick was convicted on 24 federal felony counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering. He was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison and incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma.

In 2021, after serving 76 months of his sentence, Kilpatrick's sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump. Kilpatrick's sentence was reduced, but his 24 felony convictions still stand, and he is still required to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and the City of Detroit.

Kilpatrick's racketeering conspiracy charges

Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy charges in March 2013. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, though this sentence was commuted in January 2021 by President Donald Trump, after Kilpatrick had served seven years.

Kilpatrick was found to have run city government like an organised crime family, shaking down city contractors for bribes. He and his friend Bobby Ferguson established a "pay-to-play" system, extorting city vendors, rigging bids, and taking bribes. Kilpatrick also used funds from non-profit civic organisations to line his own pockets and those of his family.

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