Ex-Detroit Mayor Sent To Jail For 4 Months

Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced For Obstruction Of Justice Related To Sex Scandal

(AP)  Kwame Kilpatrick was sent to jail for four months Tuesday for his part in a sex-and-text scandal and the judge chastised the disgraced ex-mayor for arrogance and disregard for the rule of law.

Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner's sentence was the finale to the scandal that destroyed Kilpatrick's reign at City Hall and threw local government into disarray for months.

"At a time when this city needed transparency, accountability and responsibility, you exhibited hubris and privilege at the expense of the city," the judge said.

He ruled that Kilpatrick not be given an opportunity for early release.

But county sheriff's spokesman John Roach said in a subsequent statement that Groner didn't have the standing to order Kilpatrick not receive time off for good behavior.

The judge's ruling "does not override Michigan Statute that says a sheriff shall credit all sentenced county jail inmates with one day good time for every five days served, provided the individual is a model inmate," Roach said.

Kilpatrick, 38, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, admitting he lied about an affair with his chief of staff while testifying in a civil lawsuit in 2007. He also pleaded no contest to assaulting a sheriff's detective.

He was ordered to serve five years of probation and pay the city $1 million in restitution. Kilpatrick paid $20,000 to the City of Detroit on Tuesday as his downpayment on the restitution.

Groner had harsh words for Kilpatrick when he laid down the sentence.

"Ultimately what shocked this court and much of the community was your press conference after your plea hearing," the judge said. "That night, the community expected to hear a message of humility, remorse and apology. Instead, we heard an arrogant and defiant man who accused the governor, among others, for his downfall."

Kilpatrick declined an offer to address the court

Groner moved the hearing to a larger courtroom to accommodate the news media and spectators. As he waited for the sentencing hearing to begin, Kilpatrick sat back with an arm around his wife, Carlita. The ex-mayor smiled often and chatted with other family members and supporters seated nearby.

But once the hearing began, Kilpatrick's demeanor changed. At times, he was seen burying his head in his hands.

It was Kilpatrick's first public forum since the speech to supporters - referenced by the judge Tuesday - after his guilty plea Sept. 4. In that address, Kilpatrick lashed out at Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who was holding hearings to remove him from office, and told Detroit, "You done set me up for a comeback."

His next stop is the Wayne County jail, where he will be in his own cell 23 hours a day. He will not be allowed to mix with other inmates during his one hour of recreation.

Kilpatrick, a Democrat, admitted lying while testifying last year in a civil lawsuit filed by former police officers who had accused him of illegally demoting or firing them.

He and chief of staff Christine Beatty denied having an affair, but text messages obtained by a lawyer in the case - and later the Detroit Free Press - clearly contradicted them.

They used their city pagers to arrange trysts and share sexually explicit desires. A fresh batch of messages was released last week, revealing that Kilpatrick, married with three children, likely had other lovers.

The messages first were publicly disclosed in January by the Free Press. Beatty quickly resigned but Kilpatrick hung on as mayor, even when prosecutors filed criminal charges against the pair in March.

The saga rolled through spring and summer as Kilpatrick hired a team of lawyers and public-image specialists and publicly ridiculed the case against him.

The City Council voted to hold impeachment-style hearings but a judge said it was illegal. Elected officials called on Kilpatrick to step down for the sake of the entire state.

Finally, he agreed to plead guilty and resign only after the governor began the public hearing in September that could have led to his ouster.

Ken Cockrel Jr. was promoted to mayor from council president. A special election to fill the balance of Kilpatrick's term will be held in May after the field is trimmed to two candidates Feb. 24.

[downsteamjim]

To find that Kwame was a Democrat, you had to read to paragraph 16 of a 23 paragraph article. To find that Sen. Stevens was a Republican all you had to do is look at the lead in and in the subtitle. Paragraph 2 indicates Stevens is a Repub and party is mentioned several times in the article.

[garys21121]

Hey, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
www.garyinthemorning.com

[xlib]

Don''t see a word on Ma state senator diane wilkerson and being caught stuffing her bra with bribes. Seems she has been taking money in bribes for about 18 months. Guess she was headed home to put the money in the freezer,
Yep, she''s a dem and black so you won''t see it here.

The four months will give him time to relax a bit,
read a few books, catch up on the latest tv and so
on. Then, fresh from his sabbatical, he will have the
energy and gusto to pursue the next Senate or Congres--sional race that comes along, and no doubt Win.
America loves a guy who can Stick it to the Man,
take a hit and bounce back. Just ask Alcee Hastings.

[bbrundj]

Detroit sure didn''t need any more delinquent activity, especially in its city hall. Man, it''s hard.

[formrusmcsgt]

It seems that CBS News foregot to mention that Kwame Kilpatrick is a Democrat. Im sure its not their policy to name party affiliation when pols are charged with corruption. They happened to mention that Senetor Stephens is a Repbulican, but that must have been an oversight as well. NO BIAS HERE

Posted by Peterd5548 at 11:56 PM : Oct 28, 2008

It seems that being a neocon has dumbed you down more than you realize:


"Kilpatrick, a Democrat, admitted lying while testifying last year in a civil lawsuit filed by former police officers who had accused him of illegally demoting or firing them."

[formrusmcsgt]

The man is unfit to be a Boy Scout troop leader, much less the mayor of a major city.

An arrogant liar and cheat.....

[peter5548]

It seems that CBS News foregot to mention that Kwame Kilpatrick is a Democrat. Im sure its not their policy to name party affiliation when pols are charged with corruption. They happened to mention that Senetor Stephens is a Repbulican, but that must have been an oversight as well. NO BIAS HERE

[republic1776]

"Groner had harsh words for Kilpatrick when he laid down the sentence."

Harsh words?

I bet that hurt him more than the candy-Arse 4 month Sentence!

[ausus-2009]

mcv57,

I am sure Detroit with its large black population has its share of black prosecutors, judges, juries, police, etc. I can''t see a white conspiracy here. Crime is crime, he should do his time.

[mcv57]

Posted by ocguy64

It is obvious to me that you a ignorant white dysfunctional piece of trash. The white angelo saxon system is going to be a barbaric animal life-style of the past.

[mcv57]

If this Mayor had white skin, it would be a different judgment - no jail time. I hope Detroit votes in another black guy from the gangster hood, to let the white local government system know who has the the power.

[ajmarine111]

Obama''''s list of friends are such upstanding citizens,aren''''t they! Ayers,who hates America, Wrigh,who hates whites and say "God *** America",Farrahkan,who hates whites and Jews, Dr.Kahlid al-mansour,hater of whites and America,Michael Klonsky,a communist,Prince Alwaleed bin Talal,and the list goes on! Obama,guilt by association and guilt by PARTICIPATION!


Posted by gotravel1 at 08:11 PM : Oct 28, 2008



Just wait until inaguration day, if Obama gets elected, and all his old friends are standing in back of him, smiling and waving.

Should make for an interesting picture.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by pelosilover at 07:54 PM : Oct 28, 2008

I remember the enthusiasm that KK brought to the office and the hope and energy that a relative youngster brought to a troubled city. When he crashed and burned he took a lot of those hopes with him....
BUT, any association Kwame has or had with Obama has nothing to do with his (Obama''s) ability to administer the country. Kilpatrick fooled a lot of us. In fact "O" conspicuously avoided Mr. K after all that texting hoo-hah brought to light. Obama was not, nor should he be, tarnished by "Kwyme''s" actions.
There is still a lot of mess to clean up in Detroit but Cockrel''s taking over the reins is a good start.

[gotravel1]

Obama''s list of friends are such upstanding citizens,aren''t they! Ayers,who hates America, Wrigh,who hates whites and say "God *** America",Farrahkan,who hates whites and Jews, Dr.Kahlid al-mansour,hater of whites and America,Michael Klonsky,a communist,Prince Alwaleed bin Talal,and the list goes on! Obama,guilt by association and guilt by PARTICIPATION!

[brianbwb-2009]

"Ken Cockrel Jr. was promoted to mayor from council president. A special election to fill the balance of Kilpatrick''s term will be held in May after the field is trimmed to two candidates Feb. 24."

This is the man who should have been Detroit''s mayor from the start, he has a long record of working for justice, going back to Hayward Brown Mark Bethune, and John Percy Boyd.

Let us hope that his service as mayor is in line with his past service to Detroit, and he can help to rebuild a once proud and prosperous city.

[michtop]

Another in a long line of Detroit scumbags. Town should be emptied and used by the military for artilery practice.

[edward1975-2009]

Put him in the general population, just as you would any other thug, maybe he''ll learn a lesson, at the very least respect for others.

[thisandthat1]

Too bad that they''ll be keeping this arrogant POS from the rest of the prison population. He thinks he''s above the law but I''m sure this will be only his first visit with the IL Penal system.

[spinproof]

It''s a fact of life that certain people are targeted more than others, that''s just the way it is, I guess all you can hope for is that you are not in that unlucky group.