Kwame: 28-Year Prison Sentence

**Lostlegumes** · October-10-13, 12:10 PM

From federal court. Wowzers.

**luckycar** · October-10-13, 12:20 PM

He should have thrown Bobby under the bus,and told where the money was.Now they will give Fergie 24 hrs to think about it.If I were him,I'd cut a last minute deal.Though it sounds this judge isn't fooling around.It may be way too late.

**Gistok** · October-10-13, 12:29 PM

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/10/...me-kilpatrick/

**dmike76** · October-10-13, 12:52 PM

Sweet justice, but I do feel bad for his kids. They didn't do this, yet they'll suffer. Plus both their parents are liars and hustlers, and as a further disservice to those kids, they may have learned that hustling is the way to live. Maybe this prison sentence will teach them otherwise.

**Scottathew** · October-10-13, 12:55 PM

I feel bad for the kids, and I wish them well. However, this justice needs to be served, even if it does have a negative impact on his kids.

Let this be a signal to others, don't use the office to your gain.

I'm sure Kilpatrick will get out earlier for good time or whatever, but a good 20+ years will make people think twice.

**daddeeo** · October-10-13, 01:24 PM

The hard rain is finally falling.

**George Cassidy** · October-10-13, 01:32 PM

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

**DetroitPlanner** · October-10-13, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

How much should you get when you murder the public trust of 800k people?

**Eber Brock Ward** · October-10-13, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

How much should you get when you murder the public trust of 800k people?

Exactly. The effects of this are a lot greater than a single murder.

[[Caveat: If one uses that sort of reasoning, would someone who violated the public trust at a smaller entity deserve a more lenient sentence?)

**Scottathew** · October-10-13, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

He stole from the public. People's businesses went under because contracts were directed to Ferguson. A city of 700-900k sufferred. Cops aren't on the street because of financial mismanagement.

Kilpatrick has done such a huge disservice that his damage to the city has indirectly cost lives through crime and lack of fire and EMS response.

He stole from the city and used the office of Mayor to his own personal gain.

Screw him. Lock him up. He'll probably get out on parole and serve closer to 20 years, all of them well deserved.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · October-10-13, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

You get 25 years for a single charge of murder. Kwame committed many, many crimes, not just one.

**bailey** · October-10-13, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

You get 25 years for a single charge of murder. Kwame committed many, many crimes, not just one.

This.

Kilpatrick was convicted of 24 charges, including racketeering, extortion, attempted extortion, bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and filing false tax returns..

So, he's basically doing a year-ish for each count.

**canuck** · October-10-13, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

You only get 25 years for murder. This is over the top. Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

Agreed. Unless conspiracy to murder or some serious roughing up of people are involved, this seems over the top.

**jackie5275** · October-11-13, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by George Cassidy

Throw him to the lions while the people cheer and forget their problems for a while.

Do you mean many of their problems that his actions created?

**Honky Tonk** · October-10-13, 01:47 PM

He seems to have lost some of his swagger....

**drjeff** · October-10-13, 01:54 PM

He was at the center of institutional, widespread corruption. Yes, this is a harsh sentence. But he raped this city with no regard for its citizens.

**swingline** · October-10-13, 01:56 PM

Yes. A rather stunningly long sentence. Sentencing guidelines enhanced the total a few years because of Mr. Kilpatrick's prior convictions and absence of remorse. But it still seems excessive.

Hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam got only 11 years in 2011 for the longest insider trading sentence ever handed down. He had made untold tens of millions of dollars through his blatant criminality.

15 years for Mr. Kilpatrick would have been plenty and cost the taxpayers a lot less.

**Honky Tonk** · October-10-13, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by swingline

Yes. A rather stunningly long sentence. Sentencing guidelines enhanced the total a few years because of Mr. Kilpatrick's prior convictions and absence of remorse. But it still seems excessive.

Hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam got only 11 years in 2011 for the longest insider trading sentence ever handed down. He had made untold tens of millions of dollars through his blatant criminality.

15 years for Mr. Kilpatrick would have been plenty and cost the taxpayers a lot less.

Was Raj Rajaratnam convicted of racketeering, extortion, and a host of other criminal charges as well?

**JBMcB** · October-10-13, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by swingline

Hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam got only 11 years in 2011 for the longest insider trading sentence ever handed down. He had made untold tens of millions of dollars through his blatant criminality.

Insider trading is, basically, knowing too much while trading stocks. Raj got 11 years for knowing too much about companies while trading their stock. He probably cost some investment banks and hedge funds a percentage point or two of profit off of a few of their stock trades.

Kilpatrick was found guilty of extortion, racketeering, tax evasion, fraud, etc... all directly at the public's expense.

The sentencing discrepancy is fully justified.

**Lily** · October-10-13, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

Insider trading is, basically, knowing too much while trading stocks. Raj got 11 years for knowing too much about companies while trading their stock. He probably cost some investment banks and hedge funds a percentage point or two of profit off of a few of their stock trades.

Kilpatrick was found guilty of extortion, racketeering, tax evasion, fraud, etc... all directly at the public's expense.

The sentencing discrepancy is fully justified.

As an elected offical Kilpatrick put himself on a different level than Raj. Kilpatrick has been found guilty on different charges and he betrayed the the people who voted him into office.

besides, it isn't really over, there is always the appeals process, more of the taxpayers money.

lily

**corktownyuppie** · October-10-13, 11:25 PM

You don't put the feds through a 10-year investigation, require 24 criminals turned state witness, deny the allegations the entire time, take it all the way through trial, and then complain that the sentence is too long.

For those of you who think his sentence should be less...or if you think Ferguson should be serving the same time as he is...then blame Kwame.

Had he come clean on all of this, he could have worked a plea deal out and cut his sentence to 10-15 years. But no, he had to arrogantly delude himself and try to delude others and roll the dice with a full out jury trial.

Well, he gambled, doubled down, gambled again, and lost. I'm actually very sad about the whole thing. I never want to see someone suffer like this. But his actions not only harmed the city from the money stolen. His actions harmed the city from the business who lost trust in bidding on contracts. And he set the tone in government that corruption was justifiable at the expense of the services to the citizens.

In the Water Department.
In the Library System.
In Detroit Public Schools.
In the Pension Trustees.

The culture has been poisoned, and I'd put the net effect of his criminal enterprise at way beyond $10MM. It's in the hundreds of millions and maybe even a billion.

And that's just with the stuff we saw. Who KNOWS how much we didn't see.

Kwame, I believed in you. I supported you in the first election. But now it's time to face some hard truths.

**401don** · October-10-13, 02:25 PM

What never ceases to amaze me is how politicians, business people, etc. who commit fraud, bribery and every other type of corruption are no different than the common crook robbing a liquor store or carjacking. They figure they won't get caught no matter how many they see go to prison every day of the week. You could execute every crook in the public square and it still wouldn't be a deterrent to the next guy.

**Hermod** · October-10-13, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

You could execute every crook in the public square and it still wouldn't be a deterrent to the next guy.

No, but it sure would lower the recidivism rate.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · October-10-13, 02:56 PM

I feel for his family, too. I even feel for Mr. Kilpatrick. Although fully deserved, I feel bad he ruined his life. There is justice here, but no pleasure. I hope, when all is said and done, he makes peace with himself and God; he will surely never have peace with City of Detroit.

At the end of the day, this nightmare of corruption I hope establishes transparency in government operations and vigilance by the citizenry.

**Zacha341** · October-11-13, 05:55 AM

I fully agree with your comments.

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

I feel for his family, too. I even feel for Mr. Kilpatrick. Although fully deserved, I feel bad he ruined his life. There is justice here, but no pleasure. I hope, when all is said and done, he makes peace with himself and God; he will surely never have peace with City of Detroit.

At the end of the day, this nightmare of corruption I hope establishes transparency in government operations and vigilance by the citizenry.