Kwame Kilpatrick, Former Detroit Mayor, May Consider Plea Deal In Corruption Trial

Will Kwame Take His Chances With A Jury?

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick may choose to take his chances with a jury as he awaits trial in an extensive corruption case.

The Detroit News reports Kilpatrick has rejected a plea deal that would give him 15 years behind bars, according to two sources close to the case.

But Kilpatrick's attorney James Thomas told WXYZ that no plea has been offered or discussed in the case.

The federal racketeering case, which has been going on for more than a year, has only grown.

The original 38-count indictment released in December 2010 charged Kilpatrick, his father Bernard, associate Bobby Ferguson, childhood friend Derrick Miller and former head of Detroit’s Water and Sewerage Department Victor Mercado.

Kilpatrick and Ferguson were also indicted in February of this year on a charge of extorting money from a Detroit contractor in 2008, sharing $50,000.

According to the News, Ferguson also rejected a plea bargain that would give him 15 years. Others involved in the so-called "Kilpatrick Enterprise" have accepted deals, including Miller and former fundraiser Emma Bell, according to MLive.

Kilpatrick faces a possible 30 years in prison when the federal case goes to trial in the fall. The former mayor, who already had a stint in prison, is currently living in Texas, where he is making restitution payments to Detroit (and arguing over how much he should pay), though he has come back north for speaking gigs to promote his new book and talk about his changed life.

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