Just ANOTHER chapter in the ongoing saga of Detroit style politics. As corrupt as Chicago but no where NEAR as effective. Detroit Dumb-O-Crats lend NEW meaning to the "DUMB" in their parties name!!
Kilpatrick, 4 others to be arraigned Monday in City Hall conspiracy case
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
Detroit— Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and three others will be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, the first court appearance by the main defendants in a City Hall racketeering conspiracy case.
The arraignments come nearly one month after a federal grand jury capped a six-year corruption investigation by indicting Kilpatrick and accusing him of orchestrating an "audacious and far-reaching abuse of the public trust." The five face racketeering conspiracy and other charges that carry penalties ranging from three to 30 years in prison.
For the ex-mayor's father, Bernard Kilpatrick, the 1 p.m. arraignment and 2 p.m. pretrial conference mark the start of what could be an increasingly costly legal battle funded by taxpayers. The public could be forced to pay to hire a second publicly funded lawyer because attorney John A. Shea says he may need help sifting through hundreds of thousands of documents.
The government has amassed evidence that includes bank records, wiretaps, search warrants, e-mails, text messages and other electronic data, he said.
"The government has, with a fine-tooth comb, gone through all the respective clients' lives over the last five years. Given that, it would probably be impractical to assume that one lawyer, by himself, is going to be able to go through all that," Shea told The Detroit News.
There is precedent for arming corruption defendants with multiple taxpayer-funded lawyers. Kwame Kilpatrick has three. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds granted a motion in August allowing the hiring of Joseph Niskar as a secondary lawyer and Michael C. Naughton, who will provide technical support. They joined defense attorney James C. Thomas.
Kwame Kilpatrick and his father were charged in a case involving millions of dollars and alleged kickbacks from city contractors from the city's Water and Sewerage Department. Also named in the indictment: contractor Bobby Ferguson; former Detroit Water and Sewerage Department director Victor Mercado; and former aide and close friend Derrick Miller.
No plea deals have been floated by prosecutors yet and Bernard Kilpatrick won't accept one, Shea said. Shea emphasized that it is premature to talk about a plea deal because prosecutors haven't turned over any evidence yet.
"It's no secret Bernard has believed that this investigation has been misguided with respect to him and he believes the charges are unfounded," Shea said. "He's doing fine. Anybody would be concerned. Nobody likes being indicted or likes this kind of scrutiny. It's not comfortable."
During the pretrial conference, Edmunds is expected to hear defense lawyers' arguments about how much time is needed to sift through the evidence. She is not expected to set a trial date.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade has said she hopes to put the five on trial together in late 2011
Kilpatrick, 4 others to be arraigned Monday in City Hall conspiracy case | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Kilpatrick, 4 others to be arraigned Monday in City Hall conspiracy case
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
Detroit— Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and three others will be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, the first court appearance by the main defendants in a City Hall racketeering conspiracy case.
The arraignments come nearly one month after a federal grand jury capped a six-year corruption investigation by indicting Kilpatrick and accusing him of orchestrating an "audacious and far-reaching abuse of the public trust." The five face racketeering conspiracy and other charges that carry penalties ranging from three to 30 years in prison.
For the ex-mayor's father, Bernard Kilpatrick, the 1 p.m. arraignment and 2 p.m. pretrial conference mark the start of what could be an increasingly costly legal battle funded by taxpayers. The public could be forced to pay to hire a second publicly funded lawyer because attorney John A. Shea says he may need help sifting through hundreds of thousands of documents.
The government has amassed evidence that includes bank records, wiretaps, search warrants, e-mails, text messages and other electronic data, he said.
"The government has, with a fine-tooth comb, gone through all the respective clients' lives over the last five years. Given that, it would probably be impractical to assume that one lawyer, by himself, is going to be able to go through all that," Shea told The Detroit News.
There is precedent for arming corruption defendants with multiple taxpayer-funded lawyers. Kwame Kilpatrick has three. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds granted a motion in August allowing the hiring of Joseph Niskar as a secondary lawyer and Michael C. Naughton, who will provide technical support. They joined defense attorney James C. Thomas.
Kwame Kilpatrick and his father were charged in a case involving millions of dollars and alleged kickbacks from city contractors from the city's Water and Sewerage Department. Also named in the indictment: contractor Bobby Ferguson; former Detroit Water and Sewerage Department director Victor Mercado; and former aide and close friend Derrick Miller.
No plea deals have been floated by prosecutors yet and Bernard Kilpatrick won't accept one, Shea said. Shea emphasized that it is premature to talk about a plea deal because prosecutors haven't turned over any evidence yet.
"It's no secret Bernard has believed that this investigation has been misguided with respect to him and he believes the charges are unfounded," Shea said. "He's doing fine. Anybody would be concerned. Nobody likes being indicted or likes this kind of scrutiny. It's not comfortable."
During the pretrial conference, Edmunds is expected to hear defense lawyers' arguments about how much time is needed to sift through the evidence. She is not expected to set a trial date.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade has said she hopes to put the five on trial together in late 2011
Kilpatrick, 4 others to be arraigned Monday in City Hall conspiracy case | detnews.com | The Detroit News