Kwame Kilpatrick, who served about 7 years, will get out of prison 20 years early thanks to Donald Trump, who commuted his historic 28-year sentence.
www.freep.com
Here is what the White House said about the commutation:
"President Trump commuted the sentence of the former Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Malik Kilpatrick. This commutation is strongly supported by prominent members of the Detroit community, Alveda King, Alice Johnson, Diamond and Silk, Pastor Paula White, Peter Karmanos, Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo of the Michigan House of Representatives, Representative Karen Whitsett of the Michigan House of Representatives, and more than 30 faith leaders."
The statement continued:
"Mr. Kilpatrick has served approximately 7 years in prison for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme while he held public office. During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, meanwhile, had a different take on the commutation, saying Trump got it right.
"Kwame Kilpatrick is a person of great talent who still has much to contribute. I know how close he is to his three sons and I could not be happier for them being together again. This is a decision President Trump got right," Duggan said in a statement Wednesday morning.
According to the White House, Trump pardoned 73 individuals, and commuted the sentences of 70 more, including Kilpatrick, whose conviction still stands. Under a commutation, a person can be freed from prison, but the conviction sticks. A pardon erases the conviction.
While prison officials shot down Kilpatrick, the persistent prisoner held on, clinging to one final hope: Trump would set him free.
Meanwhile, Kilpatrick is facing
a mountain of debt when he gets out of prison — about $11 million, according to court records. His debts include:
- $552,862 judgement for accepting private jet travel to Vegas, golf outings, Prince tickets and massages from an investor who was trying to close a $117-million deal with the city's pension funds.
- $7.4-million judgement issued to a minority contractor who sued Kilpatrick and his convicted contractor friend Bobby Ferguson, claiming water contracts were unfairly steered to Ferguson.
- $852,000 in restitution to the City of Detroit stemming from the text message scandal. His last payment was made in 2013 — the year of his federal conviction.
- $1.5 million in restitution to the Detroit water department stemming from his 2013 federal conviction, which involved steering lucrative contracts to Ferguson, who got 21 years in prison for his crimes.
- $195,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid taxes.
However, given Kilpatrick's financial status , his debtors aren’t likely to get their money anytime soon as he has previously said he is broke, and
has only 96 cents in the bank.
www.fox2detroit.com
.
