Detroit Mayor To Step Down: 'I Lied Under Oath'
Southfield, Mich. — Mayor Kilpatrick of Detroit pleaded guilty to two felony charges yesterday, ending an almost eight-month saga that will result in his expulsion from office.
Kilpatrick, 38, a Democrat and in his second term as mayor, admitted to lying on the witness stand last year when he said he didn't have an extramarital affair. Admitting to a felony means the mayor will automatically be removed from his post.
"I lied under oath," Kilpatrick said in court in Detroit yesterday. "I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury."
Prosecutors said he has 14 days to leave office.
"The decisions were not the mayor's conditions, they were our conditions," a prosecutor, Kym Worthy, said after the hearing. "We can't have more corruption in this town."
The mayor's plea puts an end to a story that has been occupying the city of Detroit since January, when the Detroit Free Press published text messages disclosing that Kilpatrick had an affair with his chief of staff. Since that time, the mayor has been charged with 10 counts of felony, spent a night in jail, and seen his mother almost lose a congressional race, in part due to his scandal.
Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felonies related to obstruction of justice by lying on the witness stand. The plea deal includes four months in jail, $1 million in restitution payment, five years' probation during which he can't run for public office, and forfeiture of his government pension. He will be sentenced on October 28.
The mayor and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, were charged with lying about their alleged affair in a police whistleblower case that ended up costing the city $8.4 million in settlement fees.
The two were charged with perjury and related crimes in March. Both originally pleaded not guilty.
"I, for one, am glad that this chapter is closed," Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm, said yesterday when suspending a hearing called for by the City Council on whether to remove Kilpatrick from office.
