In the severest blow yet to what once was Detroit’s most powerful political family, a federal grand jury charged ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and three associates with turning city hall into the hub of a criminal enterprise that extorted millions from contractors.
“We are hopeful that this case and this indictment brings closure to this chapter in the city’s history, and we hope … the culture of corruption is over,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said after releasing the 38-count indictment Wednesday.
The 89-page document accuses Kwame and Bernard Kilpatrick, top mayoral aide Derrick Miller, contractor Bobby Ferguson and former water department boss Victor Mercado of perverting the city’s contracting process by forcing contractors to pay Ferguson millions of dollars — sometimes for work he did not perform. The indictment alleges that the shakedowns continued up to Kwame Kilpatrick’s last three weeks in office.
Miller and Ferguson are both longtime pals of Kilpatrick. If convicted, each of the five men faces up to 30 years in prison. Read the full story at Detroit Free Press.