A judge sent ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick back to prison for one and a half to five years this morning for lying about his finances and fighting orders to pay the city of Detroit $1 million in restitution.
"The defendant has continued to lie to this court about his ability to pay restitution," prosecutor Kym Worthy wrote in a 10-page sentencing memorandum, the AP reports. "This court cannot reward lies, deceit and fraud with more probation." The prosecution originally requested that Kilpatrick receive two to five years in prison.
Kilpatrick apologized and asked for forgiveness and leniency from the judge, who dismissed his pleas, saying "that ship has sailed." He was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.
Kilpatrick's journey from promising young black mayor to imprisoned, disgraced former mayor is a sad one. According to the AP:
Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 2008, after sexually explicit text messages became public, showing he had lied under oath about an affair with a staff member in a whistle-blowers' lawsuit. He resigned, served 99 days in jail, agreed to give up his law license, repay the city $1 million and stay out of politics for five years.
After he was released from jail in February 2009, he found a job as a medical software salesman with Dallas-based Covisint. Since then, he has said he is working on his marriage and trying to be a better father to his three sons. He also has been making $3,000 monthly payments to the city of Detroit, saying he hopes to repay everything he owes.
But prosecutors contend he continues to lie -- that Kilpatrick could afford to give more and has intentionally hid assets. Groner agreed, saying Kilpatrick failed to disclose $240,000 in loans from prominent businessmen. He also said Kilpatrick failed to surrender nearly $23,400 in tax refunds and a share of cash gifts from two people.
I don't understand why Kilpatrick would continue to play games when his freedom is at stake. Going back to prison will only be a severe disruption in the efforts he says he is making to right things with his wife and with his family. Money, especially a few hundred thousand dollars, cannot ever replace freedom.
Kilpatrick is lucky that he only has to repay $1 million. His actions to settle a lawsuit in an effort to keep tawdry details about his affairs from coming out cost the city of Detroit more than $8 million. It is money that the struggling city can barely afford to lose. There are so many other worthwhile ventures that could have been completed with that money.
However, the sentence seems a bit too harsh. Five years, if he is forced to serve the full sentence, will effectively eliminate Kilpatrick's ability to repay the money in a timely fashion. It does not seem that the judge took in to account that Kilpatrick has already repaid Detroit $132,000.
When Kilpatrick does get out of prison, maybe he will finally have his priorities in order.
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21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
20-May-10 - A Memphis, Tenn., man was babysitting his girlfriend's toddler when she defecated on the floor. The man reacted to the accident by beating the 2-year-old toddler to death with a basketball shoe.
17-May-10 - Geoffrey Fieger, the attorney representing the family of Aiyana Jones, a 7-year old who was shot dead during a police raid, says police are trying to cover up the truth about what exactly happened.
18-May-10 - Vicki Valentine has had to live through the foreclosure nightmare that is affecting all of America. She recently watched a crew of men break the lock on her door and take possession of the home she owned for 30 years. Her father paid off the mortgage in 1984, only to see his daughter lose the home 26 years later over a $362 water bill.
18-May-10 - President Barack Obama's very colorful, very opinionated ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is making headlines yet again, but this time it is in the form of the written word. The Associated Press came across an explosive, missive written by Wright that talks about the president in a very unflattering light.
14-May-10 - Popular 'Today' show host Matt Lauer and his wife of 12 years, Annette, have split. Word on the street is that when Lauer was in Vancouver covering the Winter Olympics, he allegedly "bumped Uggs" with Whitney Houston's half-sister, Alexis Houston. Click Here for the Complete Story
12-May-10 - Rap megastar Lil Wayne, who is currently serving time at Riker's Island due to a 2007 gun charge, was snitched on by a fellow inmate for concealing "unauthorized music contraband."
12-May-10 - The Kellogg Foundation is awarding $75 million over five years to undo the effects of racism on children in poor communities, I cheered the efforts of the Michigan-based nonprofit.
KWAME ADMIRED THOSE IGNORANT HIP HOP RAPPERS. KWAME WANTED TO BE THE FIRST HIP HOP MAYOR. WELL HE GOT HIS CHANCE TO GO TO JAIL JUST LIKE THOSE HIP HOP RAPPERS. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE RAPPERS HAVE SERVED TIME NOW KWAME CAN DO THE SAME.
KWAME IS INDEED STUPID. HE WAS AKSED IF HIS WIFE GOES TO WORK AND HE SAID HE DOESN'T KNOW. HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW THE MORTGAGE PAYMENT OR LEASE PAYMENT ON HIS HOME IS BEING PAID...WTH?
KWAME HAS DONE A LOT OF THINGS WRONG. MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT THIS MAN HAD HIS STUFF TOGETHER BUT IT'S OBVIOUS THAT HE DOESN'T.
The people in Detroit have more present things to be concerned about. To Hell with Kwame K. who cares if he got life. He wanted to be in the lime light so he got it. We have other cares in this city.
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Comments: (6)
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By: bed5d0e on 5/25/2010 1:04PM
Who cares?
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By: GONNA ALWAYS HAVE MY SAY on 5/25/2010 11:21PM
Say it loud, I'm black and not proud of being a gigantic backsliding butt hole!!
A SIX LETTER WORD THAT DESCRIBES MOST POLITICIANS.......C-R-O-O-K-S!
STUPID KWAME KILPATRICK IS.. AS STUPID KWAME KILPATRICK DOES!
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By: Mimi on 5/26/2010 12:13AM
KWAME ADMIRED THOSE IGNORANT HIP HOP RAPPERS. KWAME WANTED TO BE THE FIRST HIP HOP MAYOR. WELL HE GOT HIS CHANCE TO GO TO JAIL JUST LIKE THOSE HIP HOP RAPPERS. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE RAPPERS HAVE SERVED TIME NOW KWAME CAN DO THE SAME.
KWAME IS INDEED STUPID. HE WAS AKSED IF HIS WIFE GOES TO WORK AND HE SAID HE DOESN'T KNOW. HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW THE MORTGAGE PAYMENT OR LEASE PAYMENT ON HIS HOME IS BEING PAID...WTH?
KWAME HAS DONE A LOT OF THINGS WRONG. MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT THIS MAN HAD HIS STUFF TOGETHER BUT IT'S OBVIOUS THAT HE DOESN'T.
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By: Thisiswhyubroke! on 5/26/2010 1:57AM
I actually feel sorry for ol boy. Just another lost soul...
"Its time to stop paying your debts. Yes, you."
http://thisiswhyubroke.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/its-time-to-stop-paying-your-debts-yes-you-absolutely-heard-that-right/
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By: marcus on 5/26/2010 3:50AM
I`m so glad that crook lost his Law license,he`s just another educated fool.Lock him up and throw away the key!!!!
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By: valindeed on 5/26/2010 12:42PM
The people in Detroit have more present things to be concerned about. To Hell with Kwame K. who cares if he got life. He wanted to be in the lime light so he got it. We have other cares in this city.
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