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Friend of ex-Detroit mayor gets 21-year sentence for corruption
Source: Reuters
Friend of ex-Detroit mayor gets 21-year sentence for corruption
By Steve Neavling
DETROIT | Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:25pm EDT
(Reuters) - A friend and former business associate of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick must serve 21 years in prison for corruption, a federal judge said Friday, a day after she handed Kilpatrick one of the longest prison terms ever given a U.S. politician.
Bobby Ferguson, 44, would stop at nothing to further his business interests, said U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds in sentencing him on nine counts including extortion and bribery. Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
"The atmosphere of corruption forced many good people away from the city," said Edmunds. "The impact on the morale of the city of Detroit cannot be overstated."
Ferguson's lawyers had argued for a sentence of no more than 10 years, saying the government sought to lay the blame for all of Detroit's ills on Ferguson and Kilpatrick.
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By Steve Neavling
DETROIT | Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:25pm EDT
(Reuters) - A friend and former business associate of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick must serve 21 years in prison for corruption, a federal judge said Friday, a day after she handed Kilpatrick one of the longest prison terms ever given a U.S. politician.
Bobby Ferguson, 44, would stop at nothing to further his business interests, said U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds in sentencing him on nine counts including extortion and bribery. Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
"The atmosphere of corruption forced many good people away from the city," said Edmunds. "The impact on the morale of the city of Detroit cannot be overstated."
Ferguson's lawyers had argued for a sentence of no more than 10 years, saying the government sought to lay the blame for all of Detroit's ills on Ferguson and Kilpatrick.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/us-usa-crime-kilpatrick-idUSBRE99A0NB20131011
