Kwame: 28-Year Prison Sentence

[Lostlegumes]

From federal court. Wowzers.

[luckycar]

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]

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

[dmike76]

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]

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]

The hard rain is finally falling.

[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.

[DetroitPlanner]

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?

[Honky Tonk]

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

[drjeff]

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]

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.

[Eber Brock Ward]

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?)

[Honky Tonk]

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?

[401don]

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]

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]

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.

[Scottathew]

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.

[softailrider]

I don't feel good about anyone going to prison, we all know it's well deserved in this case - greed and plain stupidity did him in. He was one of the darlings of the Democratic party. Some had him running for retiring senator Levin's seat - can you imagine that?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

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]

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.

[Ray1936]

There are very minimal early releases for good behavior in federal prison; I believe 10% off the max sentence is tops. So he might get 2.8 years off of his stretch.

Like many politicians, he was an arrogant SOB. Arrogance is a very bad personality trait.

[jt1]

I believe it was Andrew Arenas that indicated federal prisoners can earn a reduction of up to 30 days per year so it would be a little over 2 years at most.

Of course Kwame will still feel entitled and break rules in prison since they obviously, in his mind, won't apply to him. He'll serve the full 28.

[Lowell]

He clearly paid extra for his arrogance, smirking, showing up in court richly arrayed, scoffing at judicial requests and his probation to point of being thrown in jail and on an on. Worst of all, he essentially stole from the poor unlike Mr. Rajaratnam.

I didn't hear is last minute contrition speech, but it clearly fell on deaf ears.

The judge's words said it all.

Edmunds said Kilpatrick lived the high life, hosting lavish parties, accepting cash tributes and loading the city’s payroll with friends and family.

Despite his speech in court today — in which Kilpatrick asked for a fair sentence and said he accepted responsibility — Edmunds said the former mayor has largely shown little remorse. Kilpatrick’s defense team wanted Edmunds to consider his accomplishments as mayor.

“He chose to waste his talents on personal aggrandizement and enrichment,” Edmunds said, noting Detroiters deserve more.

“We lost transparency. We lost accountability ... That way of business is over. We’re done. We’re moving forward,” Edmunds said.

The message is loud and clear to another wanabee political playas. Betray your pubic trust and you will pay dearly.

What is so sad was that with the gifts and talents he was endowed and the silver spoon connections he inherited, he could have been a powerful force for the healing and salvation of the city. And, in the end, he would have ended up with lots of money, fame and the adoration or a grateful city.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I wonder what he'll do when he gets out. I know it's decades off, but he'll be old, unhirable, and still deeply in debt to ordered restitution payments. I am sure the missus will file for divorce. He will live in poverty in his post-prison years. And to think of the promise he once held...

[rex]

thats pretty much life. No parole either.