Tagged: Kwame Kilpatrick

Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds stated that Wednesday will be the final day of testimony in the corruption trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father, and city contractor Bobby Ferguson.

This will mark the end of a week of  testimony for the defense after 63 days of arguments and testimony led by prosecutors, since the trial began in September.

The AP reports that jurors were sent  home early Tuesday after the defense had no witnesses to call to the stand because of illness and other conflicts.

The three face a range of charges including extortion, bribery, racketeering, and fraud  while Kilpatrick was mayor of Detroit.

Kilpatrick's defense lawyers have argued that he received money through monetary gifts and donations made by friends and mayoral staff.

Closing arguments are planned for Monday.  If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.

Good crowds at this years' Detroit auto show

Another North American International Auto Show has wrapped up, and ticket sales were up yet again. The show drew more than 795,000 people, the best crowd since 2004 according to Chevy dealer and NAIAS committee member Scott LaRiche.

"We have seen an actual spring board over the last few years, and we're slowly climbing up there towards that 800,000 mark, and realistically,if you look at it from the standpoint of the media that attended, over 5,500 media, we did break the 800,000 mark," said LaRiche.

Now the car companies are on to the Chicago for that cities auto show.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's trial continues after weekend jail stay

The Kilpatrick corruption trial continues after the former Detroit mayor had to spend the weekend in jail on a separate matter. From the Associated Press:

Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been released after spending the weekend in prison for violating parole in a 2008 conviction that booted him from office.

The Michigan Corrections Department says Kilpatrick violated parole by not disclosing all financial transactions last fall. He still owes Detroit $855,000 in restitution and must report details about his income and expenses.

Kilpatrick will go from jail to federal court where the corruption case against him and several of his associates has been going on since September.
  Toyota is King again
  The Detroit News says so:
  Now it's official: Toyota is once again the world's top automaker. 

Toyota Motor Corp. released its tally for global vehicle sales for last year Monday at a record 9.748 million vehicles — a bigger number than the estimate it gave last month of about 9.7 million vehicles.It was already clear Toyota had dethroned General Motors Co. as the Detroit-based automaker fell short, selling 9.29 million vehicles.

 GM first lost their top-selling title to Toyota in 2008, then GM regained the title in 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 2012 showed that Toyota is up and running again.
  Since we're talking about this horse race, we should note that Volkswagen is close behind as the world's third largest automaker.

DETROIT (AP) - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is behind bars for the weekend for violating parole in a 2008 conviction that bounced him from office.

Kilpatrick reported to a Michigan Corrections Department facility in Detroit on Friday afternoon. He'll remain locked up there until Monday when he returns to federal court where he's on trial in a separate matter.

His dinner choices are baked fish or bean patty.

DETROIT (AP) - Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been told to give up the names of people who wired him $4,000 he failed to disclose to the state.

Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan told The Detroit News Friday that Kilpatrick didn't tell officials about the money until Thursday - the same day he was fitted with an electronic tether for not disclosing another $2,000 sent last month from a Chicago pastor.

DETROIT (AP) - Michigan prison officials have ordered ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to wear an electronic tether and live with his mother while they investigate his receipt of an unreported $2,000 gift from a Chicago pastor.

He's on parole for a 2008 state conviction for obstruction of justice and could be sent back to prison. He's now on trial on federal corruption charges.

Kilpatrick owes $800,000 to Detroit and must report his income.

He received a $2,000 wire transfer in December from the Rev. Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church.

Governor Snyder talking trade in Canada today

With a momentum building for a new international bridge spanning the Detroit River after Michigan voters rejected a ballot proposal aimed at delaying the project, Governor Snyder is in Toronto today to attend a conference on public-private partnerships.

MPRN's Rick Pluta reports:

The governor is expected to announce an agreement with other Great Lakes states on a Canadian trade office. Canada is Michigan’s biggest international trading partner. The governor’s economic plans envision a thriving Chicago-to-Montreal trade zone with Michigan as a center point.

Snyder is also expected to meet with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Both are expected to meet with the press afterward.

Detroit seeks to avoid cash crises

Last week, the Detroit City Council rejected a proposed contract with the law firm Miller Canfield. The firm was hired to counsel Mayor Bing on the city’s financial stability agreements.

The 'no' vote led to an impending cash crisis because the state said the city could not access $30 million in bonds to cover debt.

Mayor Bing announced furlough days for city workers would be coming as a result.

The Detroit News reports city council will review their decision today.

Day 28 of the Kwame Kilpatrick trial

The public corruption trial of the 'Kilpatrick Enterprise' resumes today after a week long break.

The Detroit News reports Avinash Rachmale is on the witness stand.

A Detroit businessman will spend a third day describing threats and extortion demands by ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s close friend and co-defendant in the City Hall corruption trial... The Lakeshore Engineering Services founder has told jurors of $1.7-million payouts to Kilpatrick pal Bobby Ferguson for no-show work. The money was part of a series of extortion payments Rachmale allegedly paid to keep Ferguson happy, protect city deals and help ensure future city contracts.

Both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press are live-blogging the trial.

12:21 p.m.

More on Mercado's guilty plea from the Associated Press:

The former head of Detroit's water department has pleaded guilty, six weeks into a corruption trial that also involves ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Victor Mercado's surprise guilty plea to conspiracy occurred Monday. The trial is in recess until next week because of a lawyer's illness.

DETROIT (AP) - After a day off, the corruption trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has resumed with a former state senator in the witness chair.

Prosecutors on Thursday asked former Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow about approving state grants in 2000 when Kilpatrick was a member of the House.

The government alleges that Kilpatrick illegally funneled tax dollars to his pal, Bobby Ferguson. Kilpatrick, his father, Ferguson and the city's former water boss are charged with a racketeering conspiracy and other crimes.

The government's main claim is that Kilpatrick received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash through bribery, extortion and other methods when he was mayor, from 2002 to fall 2008. He resigned four years ago in another scandal and now lives in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Every Wednesday Michigan Radio's Morning Edition host Christina Shockley and Michigan Radio's political analyst Jack Lessenberry talk about what's been going on in the news when it comes to Michigan politics. This week they talked about a Michigan family's request to release a Marine Veteran imprisoned in Iran in order to see his ailing father in Flint, where the state's incarceration system stands when it comes to inmates releases in Genesse County and Attorney General Bill Schuette's stance on juvenile lifers, and the Kwame Kilpatrick trial.