Ex-Detroit Mayor Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

A judge in Michigan today sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to up to five years in prison for violating terms of probation on an obstruction of justice conviction.

Former Detroit Mayor's Aide Out of Jail Early

The former chief of staff to ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was released from jail early Monday after serving 69 days for obstruction of justice.

Detroit's Ex-Mayor Kilpatrick Jailed for Four Months

By: Corey Williams and Ed White

DETROIT - A judge sentenced former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to four months in jail Tuesday for a sex-and-text scandal, calling him "arrogant and defiant" and questioning the sincerity of a guilty plea that ended his career at City Hall. Kilpatrick declined to speak in court, but his lawyers urged the judge to look at his entire career, not just the crimes that threw local government into disarray for months.

The punishment was part of a plea agreement worked out last month. Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner followed that deal but said Kilpatrick would not get time off for good behavior, potentially up to 20 days in this case.

"When someone gets 120 days in jail, they should get 120 days in jail," Groner said.

Kilpatrick was taken across the street to the county jail, where he will spend 23 hours a day in a private cell.

As he was being led away, he yelled out to supporters: "You all take it easy."

They responded: "Be strong, Mayor. We love you, Mayor. We got your back, Mayor."

Detroit's Ex-Mayor Kilpatrick Jailed for Four Months....

New batch of ex-Detroit mayor's texts released

By ED WHITE

DETROIT A court on Thursday released more sexually explicit text messages between the city's former mayor and his ex-chief of staff, just days before Kwame Kilpatrick goes to jail for lying about their affair.

Christine Beatty, Kilpatrick's former top aide, tried to keep them sealed. But a Wayne County judge ordered them on the public record, and the Michigan Court of Appeals refused to stop him.

One series of messages from November 2003 goes on for more than an hour as Beatty describes what she would do with Kilpatrick if they were together.

"Don't STOP! PLEASE," Kilpatrick replies.

New batch of ex-Detroit mayor's texts released....

Kilpatrick Officially Leaves Office, Setting the Stage for New Mayor, New Start for Detroit

By: Jackie Jones

Embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick left office officially at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, spending part of the day preparing a statement thanking and saying goodbye to his supporters.

“Being elected Mayor of Detroit, my hometown, was an honor and a privilege,” said the 38-year-old Kilpatrick, who spent seven years in office. “I want to thank everyone who supported me through the years. I am proud of the fact that we, as a community, were able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time.”

Kilpatrick encouraged citizens to support incoming Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr., with whom he concluded transition meetings on Wednesday.

Kilpatrick announced his resignation two weeks ago as part of a plea deal on federal perjury charges stemming from a text-messaging scandal that consumed the city for months.

The Detroit Free Press said that before the texting scandal erupted, Kilpatrick had tamed the city’s budget, cutting nearly $300 million in annual costs, continued the downtown development trend that started under his predecessor, Dennis Archer, and was beginning to focus on decaying neighborhoods in the city.

“His ability to lead wasn’t the issue; he just made some bad choices,” Robin Barnes, a Detroit realtor and a former Kilpatrick campaign volunteer, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Kilpatrick Officially Leaves Office, Setting the Stage for New Mayor....

For Detroit, Kilpatrick’s Resignation Closes a Chapter, But the Story May Not End There

By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s resignation may close the door on his sex-and-text messaging scandal, but where the city goes from here is anyone’s guess.

After pleading guilty to two felonies and no-contest to a criminal charge on Thursday morning, Kilpatrick addressed Detroiters publicly in the evening in televised remarks, appearing at times both contrite and somewhat embittered by the efforts that drove him from office.

“I want to emphasize tonight that I take full responsibility for my actions ... our challenge now is to put the anguish and the turmoil of recent months behind us,” Kilpatrick said to a packed City Council chamber.

Kilpatrick accepted a plea deal, announced in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday, in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice. He must serve four months in jail and five years of probation. His resignation will take effect Sept. 18.

For Detroit, Kilpatrick’s Resignation Closes a Chapter, But the Story May Not End There....

Court Denies Kwame Kilpatrick’s Appeal; Mayor to Face Hearing that Could Oust Him

By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb

A hearing scheduled Wednesday to determine whether Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should be removed from office can proceed, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday evening.

A three-judge appeals court panel ruled that Gov. Jennifer Granholm could proceed with a hearing against the mayor, affirming a lower court ruling earlier in the day.

Granholm’s hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the state’s Cadillac Place Building in Detroit’s New Center area, barring a last minute appeal by Kilpatrick’s attorneys to the state Supreme Court.

Attorneys for Kilpatrick filed an emergency appeal immediately Tuesday after Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Ziolkowski ruled their bid to have the hearing dismissed on constitutional grounds failed to demonstrate bias on Granholm’s part.

The appellate court agreed to a hearing and scheduled arguments for 5:30 p.m. EDT. Each side was given 15 minutes to present its argument. The appellate judges, Michael Talbot, Christopher Murray and Kurtis Wilde, issued a unanimous ruling at 7:40 p.m.

Court Denies Kwame Kilpatrick’s Appeal....

Michigan governor will not pardon Detroit mayor

By David Bailey

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (Reuters) - Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said on Thursday she would not grant a pardon to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on perjury and other charges, reiterating that the situation needed to be resolved.

Granholm, a Democrat like Kilpatrick, said on Detroit radio station WJR she received the pardon request on Wednesday night. She said Kilpatrick would not receive immunity if he testifies at a hearing set for September 3 to determine his future.

The governor has the power to remove Kilpatrick after a hearing but has so far resisted calls for her to act.

Michigan governor will not pardon Detroit mayor....

Judge rules Detroit mayor didn't violate bond

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has ruled that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick didn't violate bond conditions in an assault case by visiting his sister, who is a potential witness for the prosecution.

Judge Ronald Giles agreed Tuesday with the mayor's attorneys that a no-contact order didn't include Ayanna Kilpatrick. The mayor spent time with his sister during the weekend.

Last week, Giles had sent the mayor to jail last week in a separate perjury case.

Giles had put the mayor in jail Thursday after learning he traveled to Windsor, Ontario, in July without notifying authorities, a condition of his bond in the perjury case. Kilpatrick was released Friday.

Judge rules Detroit mayor didn't violate bond....

Indicted Detroit mayor jailed for violating bond

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's mayor was ordered jailed on Thursday for violating travel restrictions imposed on him while he awaits trial on perjury and official misconduct charges.

Kwame Kilpatrick, once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, traveled to neighboring Windsor, Canada, in July without informing authorities. It was a condition of his $75,000 bond while he awaits trial on charges stemming from a sex scandal and his handling of a whistle-blower lawsuit.

Lawyers for Kilpatrick were appealing the ruling by Michigan District Court Judge Ronald Giles. They could not be reached immediately for comment.

Circuit Court Judge Thomas Jackson was expected to hear the appeal on Friday morning, meaning that Kilpatrick was likely to spend at least one night in the Wayne County jail.

Indicted Detroit mayor jailed for violating bond....

POLL: 47% WANT MICH. GOV. TO REMOVE KILPATRICK: Rep for Detroit mayor says only poll that matters is on Election Day.

A statewide poll in Michigan has found 47 percent of respondents say Gov. Jennifer Granholm should remove Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office for misconduct related to his text-messaging sex scandal.

The poll also found 84 percent of respondents said Kilpatrick should resign, according to the Associated Press.

Granholm is reviewing a request from Detroit City Council asking her to remove Kilpatrick, a fellow Democrat, from office. The mayor has said he won't resign as he fights criminal charges stemming from the scandal.

Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said the polling doesn't matter. "The only poll that matters is the one Detroiters take when they step into the voting booth on Election Day," Canning said in a statement. "All other polls taken prior to Election Day only serve as fodder for so-called pundits."

STORY....

Commentary: Enough Already, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick – It’s Time to Do the Right Thing and Resign

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Kwame Kilpatrick, resign already.

Many Detroiters probably don’t care that you had an affair with your chief of staff, Christine Beatty -- the torrid details of which you revealed in text messages on city-owned pagers. They probably don’t condone it, but they understand that it should be a personal matter for you and your wife to work through.

Some of your defenders have tried to liken your situation to that of former President Bill Clinton in the hopes it will help you save your job. More than a decade ago, Clinton was impeached for lying under oath about his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

COMMENTARY....

More Kilpatrick Text Messages Revealed

By: Corey Williams, Associated Press

DETROIT - (AP) A series of often explicit text messages from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's former chief of staff appear to show she had a long-term romantic relationship with the mayor and that he played a role in the firing of a police officer who sued the city.

The embarrassing messages between Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty from 2002 and 2003 appear in an 18-page document released Tuesday on the orders of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Colombo Jr. in response to a lawsuit by the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

The document was obtained from the computer of Michael Stefani, an attorney who represented three police officers in whistle-blowers' lawsuits against the city that were settled last year for $8.4 million. The text messages were taken from Beatty's city-issued pagers.

The messages could prove damaging to Kilpatrick and Beatty, who are accused of lying under oath in one of the lawsuits by denying they had an intimate relationship. They are charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice. Both have denied wrongdoing.

The Free Press published some of the text messages in January. Wayne County prosecutors began the perjury investigation after those excerpts were released.

The document released Tuesday includes descriptions of sexual trysts, the frequent use of the N-word by the mayor and Beatty as a term of endearment, and discussions of marriage.

On Sept. 15, 2002, Beatty described a sex act she wanted to perform on the mayor but said she didn't know how to approach him about it. He replied: "Next time, just tell me to sit down, shut up and do your thing!"

Later that month, the pair appeared to arrange a sexual encounter in Beatty's office. On Sept. 19, 2002, Beatty wrote to Kilpatrick: "I have wanted to hold you so badly all day, but I was trying to stay focused on work. So, I promise, not to keep you longer than 15 minutes."

Kilpatrick replied: "Don't promise (N-word.)"

Beatty said: "I'm in my office. Do you want me to come to yours or you coming to mine?"

Kilpatrick said: "I'm coming down there ... LOL ditto. Freaky Chris!"

The text messages also appear to show Kilpatrick was involved in the decision to fire one of the former officers, former Deputy Chief Gary Brown, which Kilpatrick also denied under oath as part of the lawsuit.

In a text message Beatty sent to Kilpatrick on May 15, 2003, that was contained in the document released Tuesday, she said: "I'm sorry that we are going through this mess because of a decision that we made to fire Gary Brown."

Kilpatrick said last September that the city would appeal a jury's verdict in favor of two officers in one of the lawsuits. But after Stefani gave one of Kilpatrick's lawyers a motion for attorney's fees that contained excerpts of the text messages, the suit was settled and the motion was never filed in court.

The judge said Tuesday he agreed to release the document because he believes it directly led to the deal that was reached between the three former officers and the city.

Following a community forum Tuesday evening, Kilpatrick questioned the authenticity of the messages and said their release did not provide a "the smoking gun" some had expected.

"All the lawyers have testified that this had nothing to do with the settlement." Kilpatrick said.

"It seems that it's just a regurgitation of old news. And it's unfortunate that now we're printing something as true that came off somebody's computer," he said.

Mayer Morganroth, who represents Beatty, said he believes the text messages were obtained illegally and the excerpts should not have been released.

Most of the text messages included in the document focus on the relationship between Kilpatrick and Beatty, both 37, who have been friends since high school.

On April 8, 2003, Beatty wrote: "You told me that you would be my boyfriend everyday until I was your wife. Are you renigging?"

Kilpatrick replied: "Hell no! Don't start none. Won't be none ...! LOL".

Kilpatrick remains married to his wife, Carlita. Beatty left her husband at the end of April 2003, according to the document.

On April 13, 2003, Beatty wrote to Kilpatrick: "It is sometimes so amazing how much I love you. I can't even describe most of the time how I feel inside when I think about you. You are an amazing man. Everything about you makes me love you. Your passion about life, your sense of humor, your presence, and your love of family."

On May 1, 2003, Beatty referred to her separation from her husband: "I can't see living this way with us being a 'secret' forever. I love you so much and I want to tell somebody, someday! (Smile)."

Kilpatrick responded: "In this important and somewhat confusing time in your life, please know with all our hearts and soul that I love you. And you will never, never be alone."

City Council Silences an Embattled Kilpatrick

By: Corey Williams, Associated Press

DETROIT - (AP) The City Council rebuffed embattled Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's attempts to propose a budget on Monday, the latest sign of increasingly frosty relations between the mayor and city leaders.

Kilpatrick, who is fighting perjury and other criminal charges, walked in to the Council chambers and greeted each member with handshakes or hugs before he prepared to speak.

Council President Ken Cockrel then informed him that he and the other members had agreed not to hear from the mayor. He swiftly called for an end to the meeting, leaving Kilpatrick shocked and seemingly embarrassed.

"This could have been done in my office," Kilpatrick told the Council before heading out into the hallway, where he called the council's actions "childish."

The relationship between Kilpatrick and the council has deteriorated for months. The panel voted 7-1 in March to ask Kilpatrick to resign.

Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty are awaiting a June 9 preliminary examination on perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice charges.

Not guilty pleas have been entered for each, and Kilpatrick has said he will be exonerated.

The charges stem from a lawsuit filed by two former police officers who won a jury verdict last summer. They said they were fired for investigating claims that the mayor used his security unit to cover up extramarital affairs.

Kilpatrick and Beatty denied having a romantic relationship in 2002 and 2003, but excerpts of text messages published by the Detroit Free Press contradict their testimony. Prosecutors allege that the multimillion-dollar settlement was reached after the officers' attorney showed the mayor's lawyers references to the text messages.

The newspaper published excerpts of the messages in January, prompting an investigation that led to the charges.

Kilpatrick ridiculed the Council last week for holding hearings on the $8.4 million settlement. Council members have said they were duped into approving it because they were not told of a confidentiality agreement referring to the text messages.

CITY COUNCIL WANTS KWAME KILPATRICK TO RESIGN: Vote goes 7-1 in favor of his removal; Mayor says it's irrelevant.

The Detroit City Council voted Tuesday to call for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s resignation in the wake of his embarrassing text-message scandal.


According to the Detroit Free Press, the vote was 7-1 in favor of urging the politician to step down.

Kilpatrick has dismissed the nonbinding resolution as irrelevant and vowed not to resign, according to the newspaper. A last-minute change to the resolution struck language calling for the council’s independent attorney, Bill Goodman to “explore the proceedings by which the mayor may be removed from office” if Kilpatrick stands by his promise to stay in office.

The resolution cites 33 reasons for Kilpatrick to quit, including failing to inform the council of a secret deal the mayor made to settle a whistleblower lawsuit and an accusation that he “repeatedly obfuscates the truth.” It also claims his administration has failed to govern effectively, noting widespread street light outages and mandatory audits getting turned in late.

It also says: “There is an overwhelming and growing sentiment amongst citizens of Detroit that the City Council should stand firm against Mayor Kilpatrick and seek his resignation.”

Responding to the resolution during an appearance at Wayne County Community College's east-side campus, Kilpatrick told reporters: "My reaction is, OK, now since it's over, it has no effect, it's not binding, let's get back to work."

KWAME KILPATRICK SLAMMED FOR USING N-WORD: Detroit Mayor viewed as hypocrite in the wake of last summer's symbolic burial.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is being called a hypocrite after using the N-word while speaking to reporters about his treatment since sexually-explicit text messages he sent to his former aide came to light.


"In the past 30 days, I've been called a nigger more than anytime in my entire life," said Kilpatrick, 37. "In the past three days, I've received more death threats than I have in my entire administration."


Kilpatrick's use of the slur drew a sharp response from state Attorney General Mike Cox, who called it "race-baiting on par with David Duke and George Wallace" on Wednesday and said the mayor should step down for the good of the city and region, reports the Associated Press.


"What he said cannot be unsaid, and he is not fit to be mayor anymore," Cox, who is white, said in an interview on WJR-AM. "He's a very talented guy, but he has overstayed his day. He should resign, he should quit, whether he's charged or not."


Kilpatrick faces possible perjury charges from testimony during a whistle-blowers' trial and criticism over the text messages he sent to his former top aide, Christine Beatty. In a trial over a lawsuit against the city brought by two police officers who said they were wrongly fired, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied under oath that they had been romantically involved.


Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said of the mayor's use of the N-word: "He was explaining to the citizens of Detroit the situation he and his family have been put in by some very vile individuals who have decided they will thrust upon he and his family some very threatening forms of communications."

Some black leaders criticized Kilpatrick, saying he chose the wrong forum and wrong language for his outburst.

"It most especially was not a place to use the same word that, supposedly, we buried last summer," said the Rev. Edgar Vann, pastor of Second Ebenezer Baptist Church in Detroit. "You can make references to it without using it."

But others said the context in which the mayor used the word should be considered.

"He was trying to make a point. He wasn't using it in the typical vernacular," said Richard J. McIntire, the national spokesman for the NAACP.

At a gathering in Detroit last July to symbolically bury the N-word, Kilpatrick stood before hundreds of people and proclaimed: "Die, N-word, and we don't want to see you 'round here no more."

Decision on Detroit Mayor Delayed Two Weeks

By: Corey Williams, Associated Press

DETROIT - (AP) A prosecutor said Wednesday she was delaying for another two weeks her decision on whether to file perjury charges against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former top aide.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said her office needs more time to investigate whether Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty lied under oath during a whistle-blowers' trial last summer when they denied having a romantic relationship.

Worthy had said earlier that she would release her decision around March 14.

"We stepped back from that date," she said Wednesday during a news conference on a separate issue. "It's just because we wanted to continue to be thorough and look at some other information we recently obtained."

She would not say what that information is or when her office received it.

The Detroit Free Press in January released excerpts of sexually explicit text messages that contradicted testimony Kilpatrick and Beatty gave during the whistle-blowers' lawsuit filed by former police officers.

Kilpatrick approved a confidential settlement of that lawsuit that cost city taxpayers $8.4 million. That agreement included references to the text messages left on Beatty's city-issued pager in 2002 and 2003.

Worthy announced her investigation on Jan. 25 after the Free Press report.

Beatty resigned last month.

A perjury conviction could bring up to 15 years' imprisonment and force Kilpatrick out of the mayor's office.

DETROIT MAYOR KILPATRICK ASKS FOR FORGIVENESS

Detroit's one time "Hip-Hop Mayor," Kwame Kilpatrick, last night asked his city and family for forgiveness in a televised speech.

His appearance, along with his wife, ended a week of being out of public view as a result of racy text messages to a former top aide that recently came to light and threaten to topple his career.

"I truly apologize to you," Kilpatrick said, turning to his wife, Carlita, who sat by her husband's side, holding his hand, at their family church.


Even though a prosecutor is investigating whether Kilpatrick, 37, and former chief of staff Christine Beatty lied under oath during a whistle-blower's lawsuit last summer in which both denied having a physical relationship, he vowed to not leave his post as mayor.

"I remain in charge of the city," he said during the speech delivered in front of a lone TV camera from Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ.

Carlita Kilpatrick also spoke, describing the pain her husband had caused, but urging the city to remain committed to him.

"I am angry, I am hurt and I am disappointed," she said. "But there is no question I love my husband.