Kwame Kilpatrick

Who is Kwame Kilpatrick?

Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is a former Michigan state representative and Democratic mayor of Detroit. Kilpatrick's mayorship was plagued by numerous scandals and rampant accusations of corruption, with the mayor eventually resigning after being convicted on felony counts, including perjury and obstruction of justice. Kilpatrick was sentenced to four months in jail after pleading guilty, but with good time awarded to county jail inmates in Michigan, he was released on probation after serving 99 days. On May 25, 2010, he was sentenced to 18 months to 5 years in prison for violating his probation, and served time at the Oaks Correctional Facility in northwest Michigan.

On March 11, 2013, Kilpatrick was convicted on 24 additional federal felony counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering. The conviction stemmed from a 38-charge felony indictment, in what a federal prosecutor called a "pattern of extortion, bribery and fraud" by some of Detroit's most prominent officials. On October 10, 2013, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison.