Kwame Kilpatrick to Resign

From the Detroit Free Press:

A MAYOR IN CRISIS
Mayor: 'I lied under oath'
He'll leave office, serve 120 days in jail, repay $1 million, surrender law license
BY M.L. ELRICK, JIM SCHAEFER, JOE SWICKARD and BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • September 4, 2008


Updated at 12:10 p.m.
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has pleaded guilty, ending a nearly eight month drama that has transfixed the region, paralyzed much of city business and halted a political career that once held such promise.



The deal calls for Kilpatrick to plead guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice by committing perjury, agreeing to serve four months in jail, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve five years' probation. He also agreed not to run for office during that five-year span.

The mayor will turn over his state pension to the City of Detroit, which paid $8.4 million to settle two whistle-blower lawsuits three former cops filed against the city. The mayor was charged with eight felony counts ranging from conspiracy to perjury to misconduct in office to obstruction of justice after the Free Press revealed that the mayor lied on the witness stand during a police whistle-blower trial and gave misleading testimony about whether he intended to fire a deputy police chief investigating allegations of wrongdoing by members of his inner circle.

In a rushed monotone, Kilpatrick told the court: "I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the City of Detroit ... I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury, to impede and obstruct the disposition of justice."

Groner asked Kilpatrick: "Are you satisfied with your lawyers in this case?"
The mayor replied: "Uh, what do you mean?"


After Groner explained, Kilpatrick said he was satisfied with the performance of his legal team.

Groner: "The court's satisfied and will accept the plea to two counts of obstruction of justice."

Sentencing will be Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. in his courtroom. He did not explain why so much time will pass between the mayor's plea and sentencing.

I have no sympathy.