Kwame Kilpatrick, the disgraced former mayor of Detroit, served eight years of a 28-year sentence for a racketeering conspiracy before his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021. Since that time, according to federal prosecutors, he has not paid the restitution he owes to the city.
As The Detroit News reports, federal prosecutors discovered Kilpatrick owes an additional $6,700-plus they want applied to the more than $820,000 he owes the taxpayers of Detroit.
In total, the sum Kilpatrick owes in both restitution and taxes sits at over $1.6 million.
In late March, in response
to an order from federal prosecutors to examine Kilpatrick’s illegal activities, Michigan Treasury officials found an additional sum of $6,707.07 which they allege Kilpatrick owes Detroit. In 2023, he leased a $90,000 luxury SUV and his wife purchased an $807,000 home in Novi.In March, as The Wall Street Journal reports, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gardey described Kilpatrick’s spending as indicative of a “jet-setting lifestyle,” and it was noted that the monthly payments on the leased vehicle were 10 times his monthly payments on his debt.
The federal government
alleged in a court filing on April 12 that the former mayor is only making minimum monthly payments of $150. Meanwhile, Kilpatrick says he does not believe he actually owes the money and would like a hearing to settle the matter.In March, the federal government signaled its seriousness about pursuing restitution from Kilpatrick. U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison released a statement declaring its intent to aggressively pursue action: “The United States Attorney’s office has filed a writ of garnishment against Mr. Kilpatrick as part of our continuing effort to enforce the criminal judgment of restitution he owes to the United States. Our efforts in this regard are unwavering.”
WWJ legal analyst Charlie Langton told the outlet that he believed Kilpatrick could eventually be found in violation of the terms of his probation if this behavior continues. “Kwame Kilpatrick — until he pays off every penny of restitution, he’s going to have to account for that. And the feds believe, based on what he’s putting on social media, that he’s raising money…and that probably will violate the terms of his probation at this time.”
Langton continued, “The victim in the federal case was the City of Detroit, and the judge ordered Kwame Kilpatrick to pay back the victim in this case: the City of Detroit. So, whatever the number turns out to be, whatever income Kwame Kilpatrick has from whatever source, has to be totaled up and given back to the victim.”
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