Kwame Kilpatrick
| Kwame Kilpatrick | |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 8, 1970 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
|
| Charges: | 24 federal felony counts including RICO conspiracy, extortion, attempted extortion, bribery, mail and wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and income tax evasion |
| Sentence: | 28 years in federal prison (commuted January 20, 2021) |
| Released: | January 20, 2021 (sentence commuted by President Donald Trump) |
| Facility: | FCI Fort Dix (low-security) |
| Status: | Released; sentence commuted January 20, 2021 (conviction not vacated) |
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is a former Democratic politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008 and represented Michigan's 9th district in the state House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002. In March 2013 a federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan convicted him of 24 felony counts, including RICO racketeering conspiracy, extortion, bribery, mail and wire fraud, and tax crimes, tied to a scheme that steered City of Detroit contracts to a favored contractor. U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds sentenced him to 28 years in federal prison on October 10, 2013 (BOP Register No. 44678-039). He served roughly seven years across several federal facilities until President Donald Trump commuted his prison sentence on January 20, 2021; the commutation released him but did not vacate the conviction or erase his restitution obligation.
Early Life and Career
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick was born June 8, 1970, in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, was a Wayne County political figure. He entered elective office young, representing Michigan's 9th district in the state House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002. He then won the Detroit mayoralty and took office in 2002 at age 31 as one of the youngest mayors in the city's history.
Criminal Case
Kilpatrick's legal troubles began with a Wayne County (state) matter. A 2008 scandal over sexually explicit text messages with his chief of staff, tied to civil litigation, led him to plead guilty to obstruction of justice and resign as mayor in September 2008. The separate federal case, United States v. Kilpatrick (2:10-cr-20403, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan), grew out of an FBI/IRS public-corruption investigation.[1][2] Prosecutors charged that Kilpatrick ran a criminal enterprise out of City Hall, using extortion and bid-rigging to steer city contracts (notably water-and-sewerage work) to contractor Bobby Ferguson in exchange for kickbacks and personal enrichment. Co-defendants included Ferguson and Bernard Kilpatrick.
Trial and Sentencing
After a months-long trial, a federal jury convicted Kilpatrick on March 11, 2013, of 24 felony counts: one count of RICO conspiracy, four counts of extortion, one count of attempted extortion, one count of bribery, eleven counts of mail and wire fraud, five counts of subscribing a false tax return, and one count of income tax evasion.[3] On October 10, 2013, U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds sentenced him to 28 years in federal prison.[4] His appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit were unsuccessful, and a later motion to vacate the sentence was denied.
Incarceration
Kilpatrick was held under BOP Register No. 44678-039.[5] Following his 2013 sentencing he was processed through FCI Milan in Michigan and then transferred to FCI El Reno in Oklahoma, where he spent roughly four years. In June 2018, at his own request to be closer to his three sons on the East Coast, he was moved to FCI Fort Dix (low-security), a low-security Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey.[6] He was subsequently transferred again to FCI Oakdale, a low-security facility in Oakdale, Louisiana, where he was housed at the time of his release. A May 2020 request for COVID-19-related compassionate release was denied.
Release and Aftermath
On January 20, 2021, in one of his final acts in office, President Donald Trump commuted Kilpatrick's prison sentence after he had served about seven years of the 28-year term, and he was released from FCI Oakdale.[7] The commutation ended his incarceration but did not overturn the conviction or cancel his court-ordered restitution to the City of Detroit and the IRS.[8] Federal prosecutors have continued efforts to collect the outstanding restitution and unpaid taxes, reported at more than $1 million.[9] Kilpatrick has contested aspects of the collection, including a February 2026 ruling denying his challenge to an amended restitution judgment.[10] After release he relocated to the Atlanta, Georgia area and became involved in Christian ministry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did Kwame Kilpatrick do?
As mayor of Detroit, Kilpatrick was convicted in March 2013 of 24 federal felonies, including RICO racketeering conspiracy, extortion, bribery, mail and wire fraud, and tax crimes, for running a corruption scheme that steered lucrative city contracts to a favored contractor in exchange for kickbacks. He had earlier (2008) pleaded guilty in a separate Michigan state case to obstruction of justice over a text-message scandal and resigned as mayor.
Q: How long was Kwame Kilpatrick's sentence?
U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds sentenced him to 28 years in federal prison on October 10, 2013. He served roughly seven years before President Trump commuted the remaining prison term on January 20, 2021.
Q: Where was Kwame Kilpatrick incarcerated?
Under BOP Register No. 44678-039 he was held at several federal facilities: FCI Milan (Michigan), then FCI El Reno (Oklahoma), then FCI Fort Dix (a low-security institution in New Jersey) from June 2018, and finally FCI Oakdale (a low-security institution in Louisiana), where he was housed when he was released.
Q: When was Kwame Kilpatrick released?
He was released on January 20, 2021, after President Donald Trump commuted his prison sentence. The commutation freed him but did not vacate his conviction or erase his restitution obligation.
Q: Was Kwame Kilpatrick pardoned?
No. He received a commutation, not a full pardon. The commutation ended his prison time but left the conviction in place and did not cancel the restitution he still owes.
See also
References
- ↑ "Public Corruption: Inside the Kwame Kilpatrick Case". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "United States v. Kilpatrick, 2:10-cr-20403 (E.D. Mich.)". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick sentenced to 28 years in prison in corruption case". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick aka inmate # 44678-039". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick moves to low-security federal prison in New Jersey". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick released from prison after Trump commutes sentence". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick's prison sentence commuted by Trump -- here's what to know". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Feds accuse Kwame Kilpatrick of trying to delay paying restitution". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick loses restitution challenge in federal court". '. Retrieved .