Former Democratic Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who just last month was sentenced to at least 18 months in prison for probation violations in Michigan, has been slapped with 19 federal fraud and tax evasion charges in connection with a non-profit whose resources he allegedly raided for personal and campaign expenses.
Between 2003 and 2008, Kilpatrick allegedly received over $640,000 in income in the form of cash and expenses from the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, a non-profit he created to “contribute to the betterment of the lives of youth of Detroit” among other high-minded purposes.
Kilpatrick, who is already in prison for his state case and resigned as mayor amid scandal in 2008, allegedly used the money on the following:
Yoga lessons for Kilpatrick
Golf-related expenses for Kilpatrick and others, including lessons, a set of Nike golf clubs, and a personalized golf bag
Summer camp for Kilpatrick’s children;
College tuition for relatives of Kilpatrick
A birthday party for a relative of Kilpatrick
A video documenting Kilpatrick’s family history
A crisis manager to manage Kilpatrick’s public image following the public disclosure of text messages sent to and received by Kilpatrick on a city-owned paging device
Personal moving costs for Kilpatrick and his family after he left the mayoral residence
Lease of a personal residence for Kilpatrick and his family after they departed from the mayoral residence
Personal travel, including hotel costs and airfare for Kilpatrick and his relatives and friends
Lease of a Cadillac DeVille for Kilpatrick
Rental cars
Polling, focus groups, public relations, and political consulting for his mayoral campaigns.
Private jet flights
Counter-surveillance and anti-bugging equipment
From 2003 through 2008, Kilpatrick allegedly received and did not report income from the Civic Fund in the form of cash, expenses, and private jet flights amounting to $642,702.
The indictment is below. The Detroit News has more on the wide-ranging federal probe that resulted in the charges today.
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