We knew from the release of his amorous texts that Kwame Kilpatrick, the disgraced former mayor of Detroit, isn’t exactly a stand-up guy. But was he also on the take?
The Detroit News reported Monday that federal prosecutors will soon bring felony charges against Kilpatrick — who did jail time last year after pleading guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges — and his father Bernard Kilpatrick. The Feds have been probing pay-to-play allegations in Detroit city government, including claims that contractors seeking business from City Hall were told to hire Bernard Kilpatrick as a consultant.
One contractor, Karl Kado, has said in a sworn statement that he paid almost $300,000 to Bernard Kilpatrick, and that he illegally paid about $100,000 in cash directly to Kwame Kilpatrick. Kado is awaiting sentencing for filing false tax returns, and has been cooperating with the FBI since 2005.
The Feds are said by the News to be “extremely pleased” with the information Kado provided. You can see why:
Sworn statements say Kado told investigators he made cash payments to Kwame Kilpatrick of about $20,000 each on four or five occasions, with Kado sometimes visiting Kilpatrick’s City Hall office and Kilpatrick sometimes dropping by the Cobo Center, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed.
Kado and Bernard Kilpatrick were described by one lawyer involved in the case as “extremely close almost to the extent that they were in business together.” They lawyer added that the two men had even vacationed together in Las Vegas.
The timing and specific nature of the charges said to be being prepared against the Kilpatricks remain unclear.
Separately, Kwame Kilpatrick — now a software salesman in suburban Dallas — may also be facing a probation-violation warrant, after he recently failed to make a portion of the $1 million restitution payment to the city of Detroit. The former mayor was supposed to pay $79,000, but paid only $14,000, paying for it with money orders.
