Kwame Kilpatrick: Detroit Ex-Mayor Released From Jackson State Prison
Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit’s former mayor, was released from prison on Tuesday, after serving just 14 months of his five-year sentence.
Kilpatrick was serving time at a Jackson, Michigan, state facility for violating probation in his 2008 perjury case, stemming from the text-message scandal.
The ex-mayor of Detroit and his former Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, were charged with lying under oath about their illicit affair. Kilpatrick was also indicted on felony charges of obstruction of justice in an effort to hide the affair.
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Kilpatrick emerged from prison at 6:15 a.m. Monday and is expected to reunite with his wife and two sons in Dallas, Texas, where he will be on supervised parole for 24 months.
"I want to humbly thank all of the people who prayed for me and my family throughout this tumultuous time, especially during the past 14 months. Your prayers inspired me to press on as the Creator guided, trained, protected, covered, and loved me in ways that I never thought possible," said Kilpatrick in a prepared statement.
"During my incarceration, I learned, sometimes through very painful processes, how important it is for me to put God, Faith, and Family first."
Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with eight felony counts of perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct of office. He pled guilty to two felony charges of obstruction of justice in September 2008. Kilpatrick also pleaded no contest to the “assault of a police officer” indictment.
A few months later, in February 2009, he was put on five-year probation and released from jail. Kilpatrick was ordered to pay restitution, which was part of his original plea deal.
Kilpatrick failed to report assets that could be used toward the restitution repayment. Wayne County Judge David Groner sentenced him to five years in prison on May 25, 2010 for the violation of probation.
Kilpatrick communicated with his followers throughout his incarceration with the use of social media. He sent out messages expressing excitement about seeing his family and eating his wife’s “great home-cooking.”
One tweet said, "All I can dream about is being united with my family. Hurry up Tuesday!"
In his statement Monday, Kilpatrick focused on beginning anew.
“I have a new hope," he said. "My greatest desire is that my testimony will give anyone who will listen permission to dream of greatness and to push toward it even in the midst of failure.”
The terms of his release call for $860,000 in restitution.
Kilpatrick still faces criminal charges and has to report to pretrial services within 24 hours of his release, according to a judge’s order. The case against Kilpatrick, his father, and three others is one of Detroit’s biggest public scandals.
He is charged with stealing millions in public funds and the case will go to trial in September 2012.
