Kilpatrick Could Head Back to Prison Over 2005 Lynch Ad

Just months after he was released from prison, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick could be heading back behind bars.

The former politician is currently being federally investigated for a 2005 ad that compared media criticism of him to lynch mobs. The creator of the ad, Adolph Mongo, was recently ordered to appear before a grand jury investigating Kilpatrick. When he went down to the courthouse, things immediately headed in the wrong direction for the former mayor after Mongo was asked who paid for the ad and with what funds.

"My bank records were subpoenaed. They wanted to know what this check was for, but they had already done their homework," Mongo told Local 4 News.

Mongo testified that Kilpatrick ordered the ad and paid for it with a check from his non-profit, the Kilpatrick Civic Fund — a fund created to collect money to help children of Detroit and educate citizens on the political process.

The charge of misusing the non-profit funds is just one of the former mayor’s 38 counts of racketeering charges. In addition, court documents allege Kilpatrick used the funds to pay for personal items including golf and yoga.

Kilpatrick is on parole after serving 14 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation in a 2008 obstruction of justice case in which he was convicted of lying under oath about an affair with his chief of staff.

Kilpatrick’s racketeering trial is scheduled to start in September. He says that there will not be a plea bargain and he looks forward to clearing his name.

In a city that continues to revive its image from the wrath of Kilpatrick, many can only hope that the upcoming trial does not cause the city any more harm.

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(Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)