Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Kilpatrick Aide Pleads Guilty, Will Cooperate Against Former Detroit Mayor

Jillian Rayfield | September 13, 2011, 6:01AM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

A close aide to beleaguered former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on Monday pleaded guilty to bribery and lying about his taxes -- and will cooperate with the case against Kilpatrick as part of his plea deal.

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Kilpatrick Tell-All Blames 'Enemies' For His 'Political Saga Of Epic Proportions'

Jillian Rayfield | July 7, 2011, 10:48AM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Beleaguered former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has written a tell-all book, describing how he wound up in jail and blaming many of his troubles on a number of "enemies" who were threatened by his election. "Their bottom lines for me, then, became simple. Get rid of me. And they're not finished," he writes.

"Like any political saga of epic proportions, there are no simple explanations for the direction in which my career went. But there are two sides to the story and probably three. The world has heard the press' side for almost 10 years, and it's caused a tidal wave of sentiment against me," Kilpatrick writes in the memoir, according to excerpts published by the Detroit Free Press.

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Detroit

Kwame Kilpatrick Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Corruption Charges

Rachel Slajda | January 11, 2011, 9:50AM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Ex-mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick yesterday pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges. His father, Bernard Kilpatrick, and three other defendants also pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors allege that Kilpatrick, his father, a mayoral aide, the former head of the water department and a city contractor colluded to extort millions from contractors. Kilpatrick allegedly forced firms looking for city contracts to pay kickbacks, fly Kilpatrick and his friends around the country and/or hire his friend, Bobby Ferguson, as a subcontractor. Ferguson is one of the five defendants.

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Detroit

Indictment: Kilpatrick Demanded Private Flights To Vegas For City Contracts

Rachel Slajda | December 17, 2010, 10:31AM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

According to the federal racketeering indictment that came down Wednesday, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick demanded a lot in exchange for a city contract. One of those things was, allegedly, all-expense-paid trips to swanky locales like Las Vegas via the private jets of city contractors.

In one case, according to the indictment, Kilpatrick had a couple of top aides inform the owner of a company that managed millions of Detroit pension funds that Kilpatrick wasn't happy the contractor had supported his opponent in the 2005 election. So the unnamed contractor allegedly flew Kilpatrick and five of the mayor's friends to Vegas for a golf trip in April 2007 -- a golf trip that included hotels, meals, limo service, concert tickets and massages -- to the tune of $16,000.

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Detroit

Kwame Tweet: 'Moral Responsibility May Compel You To Disobey The Law'

Rachel Slajda | December 16, 2010, 3:30PM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick -- or, more likely, a family member -- is defending the mayor on Twitter after his federal indictment yesterday charging him with racketeering, bribery, extortion and fraud.

"Is disobedience of the government ever justified?" the @KwameAndFamily Twitter account asked yesterday.

A few hours later: "We must obey God rather than men."

This morning: "Moral responsibility may compel you to disobey the law."

TPM confirmed the authenticity of the Twitter account with Mike Paul, Kilpatrick's public relations man.

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Corruption

'Lol!' How Kwame Kilpatrick Allegedly Planned Mass Extortion

Rachel Slajda | December 16, 2010, 1:57PM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

We just got through the 38-count federal indictment against former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and a handful of his cohorts, alleging that the group operated as a criminal organization that extorted tens of millions of dollars from city contractors. The indictment -- against Kilpatrick, his father, a city contractor named Bobby Ferguson and two former city officials -- is full of bits of conversations between the men, presumably via text message and punctuated with "Lol"s and "COOL!"s.

The indictment alleges extortion, bribery, racketeering, mail fraud and RICO conspiracy, a charge originally reserved for crime syndicates like the mafia. Kilpatrick and other city officials were allegedly in the habit of threatening to take away lucrative city contracts from firms unless they hired Ferguson at inflated rates and, in some cases, for no work at all.

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Feds Indict Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Rachel Slajda | December 15, 2010, 3:52PM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

According to local news reports, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been indicted on federal corruption charges.

Kilpatrick was charged along with his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, and several other former city officials: city contractor Bobby Ferguson, former top Kilpatrick aide Derrick Miller and former water department chief Victor Mercado, according to the Free Press.

According to the Detroit News, the men are being charged under Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, a law usually used to prosecute mobsters and other perpetrators of organized crime.

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MI-GOV

Michigan AG: Ex-Con's Claims That I Was At Ex-Mayor's Mansion Stripper Party Are 'Bold-Faced Lies'

Eric Lach | July 28, 2010, 11:56AM

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox (R)

With days to go before Michigan's gubernatorial primary, Michigan Attorney General and Republican candidate Mike Cox is dealing with the fallout of a leaked affidavit that puts him on the scene of a long-rumored party supposedly thrown at the Detroit mayor's mansion in 2002 by then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Cox called the allegations "bold-faced lies," and says he's never set foot in the mayor's mansion. In an interview on WJR-AM, Cox suggested the leak of the affidavit was timed close to the primary to draw the most headlines.

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Where Are They Now? TPM's Favorite Scandal Makers Edition

Jillian Rayfield | June 28, 2010, 8:50AM

Fmr. FL Rep. Mark Foley (R), Fmr. NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), Fmr. IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), Fmr. DC Lobbyist Jack Abramoff

Disgraced politicians never die, they just fade away. Or get a show on CNN.

TPM has covered many a politician over the years who's been brought down by his own malfeasance, and recently some of them have re-entered the spotlight in one way or another. So where do infamous politicians go after their political careers have been ruined? Well, some go to trial, some go to prison, and apparently some enter the retail industry.

Here's a look at where some of TPM's favorite scandal-makers are now...

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Feds Charge Ex-Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Looted Nonprofit To Pay For Yoga Lessons, Summer Camp

Justin Elliott | June 23, 2010, 3:45PM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

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:

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Ex-Detroit Mayor Gets 18 Months To Five Years In Prison For Violating Probation

Ben Frumin | May 25, 2010, 10:48AM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Disgraced ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced today to 18 months to five years in prison for violating his probation by not disclosing assets as required under a plea deal.

Judge David Groner slammed Kilpatrick in court today, saying that "your testimony in this court amounted to perjury" and that "the initial 120 days incarceration did nothing to rehabilitate you."

"Probation is no longer an option," Groner said. "That ship has sailed."

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Judge: Kwame Kilpatrick Violated Probation

Justin Elliott | April 20, 2010, 3:50PM

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, now living in north Texas and working as a salesman for a tech company, may be headed for jail after a Michigan judge ruled today he violated his probation by not disclosing assets as required under a plea deal.

Kilpatrick has been slowly paying $1 million in restitution to Detroit as part of a 2008 settlement related to misdeeds, including lying about an affair with a staffer, according to the AP. But, the wire service reports, Kilpatrick hasn't exactly been living on the cheap:

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Kwame Kilpatrick

Report: Kwame Kilpatrick, Father, To Be Charged In Pay-To-Play Probe

Zachary Roth | February 25, 2010, 12:54PM

Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

We knew from the release of his amorous texts that Kwame Kilpatrick, the disgraced former mayor of Detroit, isn't exactly a stand-up guy. But was he also on the take?

The Detroit News reported Monday that federal prosecutors will soon bring felony charges against Kilpatrick -- who did jail time last year after pleading guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges -- and his father Bernard Kilpatrick. The Feds have been probing pay-to-play allegations in Detroit city government, including claims that contractors seeking business from City Hall were told to hire Bernard Kilpatrick as a consultant.

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Golden Dukes

Golden Dukes: The 'Where Are They Now?' Edition

Zachary Roth | December 31, 2009, 3:17PM

This year's Golden Dukes winners are following in the footsteps of some giants. So it's only fitting that we take a moment to honor a few past victors.

But for these illustrious performers, life has gone on -- even after their acceptance speeches were given, the klieg lights went down, and their names faded from the headlines. So below, we let you in on what these Golden Dukes legends are doing today...

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