Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was once a rising political star, but his shining career will now be forever tarnished by a raft of federal corruption charges. Jurors found Kilpatrick guilty of 24 criminal counts, including racketeering, extortion and bribery.
Prosecutors claimed that Kilpatrick steered $83 million in city work to a friend, contractor Bobby Ferguson, who in turn exchanged hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. One fundraiser also took the stand, claiming she gave Kilpatrick $200,000 of his political donations, along with giving him cash from her bra during private meetings.
Kilpatrick resigned in 2008 after pleading guilty to lying during a civil trial and spent three months in jail. After later violating probation Kilpatrick spent more than a year behind bars.
A hearing was set for later on Monday to determine whether Kilpatrick would be detained immediately, or released until his sentence. The racketeering charge alone carries up to 20 years in prison.
Source: usnews.nbcnews.com
