Jurors heard from the final defense witnesses today in the five-month-old Kwame Kilpatrick corruption trial. Kilpatrick, his father Bernard and Bobby Ferguson declined to testify and their defense teams rested, setting the stage for closing arguments Monday. Kilpatrick and contractor Bobby Ferguson called 11 witnesses during a defense phase that lasted four days. The ex-mayor’s … Continue Reading →
Jurors were sent home early Tuesday after several issues emerged that prevented defense witnesses from testifying in the Kwame Kilpatrick corruption trial. Kilpatrick’s defense team was expected to try to rebound from a rocky experience involving a tax expert and questions about the Kilpatrick Civic Fund. The defense team’s tax expert Gary Leeman was expected … Continue Reading →
Former City Councilwoman Sharon McPhail labeled the government’s star witness a liar along with another witness who allegedly delivered bra-stuffed kickbacks to Kwame Kilpatrick. McPhail spent an hour on the witness stand as Kilpatrick’s lawyer tried to cast doubt on testimony from star witness Derrick Miller and former Kilpatrick fundraiser Emma Bell. U.S. District Judge … Continue Reading →
Kwame Kilpatrick’s nonprofit group spent money legitimately and wasn’t the ex-mayor’s personal piggy bank, according to testimony Friday. The former mayor’s defense team Friday attacked slush fund allegations and financial records indicating Kilpatrick had more than $500,000 in his bank accounts beyond his mayoral salary. Kilpatrick’s defense team tried to show a long pattern of … Continue Reading →
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds on Thursday refused to acquit former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and contractor Bobby Ferguson after prosecutors rested their case. Prosecutors rested following a 13-week case and after calling approximately 80 witnesses in the one of the country’s largest public corruption cases in 30 years. Kilpatrick’s lawyer promptly launched … Continue Reading →
Jurors saw dozens of text messages Tuesday portraying Kwame Kilpatrick allegedly scheming to steer lucrative city contracts to pal Bobby Ferguson. Prosecutors revealed the text messages in a bid to explain how Ferguson landed almost $125 million in city revenue during Kilpatrick’s tenure as mayor. The flurry of text messages and a series of battles … Continue Reading →
Federal prosecutors built toward a powerful finish Monday in the City Hall corruption trial, showing jurors dramatic photos of Bobby Ferguson’s hidden safes stuffed with cash and checks. The photos illustrated the government’s theory about what happened to some of the $84 million Ferguson allegedly pocketed as a result of tainted city deals awarded during … Continue Reading →
Kwame Kilpatrick shorted the IRS out of almost $200,000 by failing to report cash and other income, according to testimony Friday. The new figures emerged as prosecutors neared the end of their criminal case against Kilpatrick, his father Bernard and contractor Bobby Ferguson. Kilpatrick, meanwhile, continued to make news outside of federal court. The state … Continue Reading →
Prosecutors shredded one Kwame Kilpatrick alibi Thursday and his defense lawyer made a giant math mistake while trying to explain almost $900,000 cash found in the ex-mayor’s bank accounts. An IRS agent spent Thursday showing jurors the former Detroit mayor lived beyond his means and had access to almost $900,000 in unreported income. The money … Continue Reading →
Jurors heard dry but potentially devastating testimony about Kwame Kilpatrick’s finances Wednesday and listened to FBI wiretaps that portrayed Bernard Kilpatrick as scheming to give his clients a piece of the Book Cadillac hotel renovation project. The deep dive into the former Detroit mayor’s finances was part of the government’s attempt to prove Kilpatrick cheated … Continue Reading →