Politics

Today at the White House: December 9, 2011 Next

Is Kwame Kilpatrick Holding Out on the People of Detroit?

Officials say he pays more for cable TV than restitution to the city he owes $860,000.

By Joyce Jones

Posted: 12/09/2011 03:09 PM EST

Filed Under Politics News, Detroit, extramarital affair, corruption

Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit, extramarital affair, restitution

It seems that Detroit’s disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s legal travails have taught him little about the value of discretion. Despite crying broke, he is living large in Texas, leading Wayne County prosecutor Kim Worthy to the conclusion that Kilpatrick, who owes the city $860,000, is hiding assets, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Worthy has argued that Kilpatrick's monthly restitution payments should increase from $160 to $1,000. But according to a report by The Detroit News, the new monthly payment will be closer to $500.

It hasn't helped Kilpatrick's cause that he moved into a 5,016 square-foot home valued at more than $300,000; it is larger than the mayor’s mansion he and his family inhabited while he was in office. Officials also are aware that he pays more than $300 for cable TV each month. And according to Worthy, Kilpatrick is trying to avoid a paper trail by using cash to buy food.

In a letter to the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) requesting that Kilpatrick’s restitution payments be increased, she wrote that he claims monthly earnings of $3,750, pays $2,600 in rent and more than $800 for a car, but spends close to $2,000 more than he earns.

"We're going to require him to make increased payments. He has a sizeable amount to pay and he's been making pretty small payments,” MDOC spokesman Russ Marlan told the Detroit News.

"Moving out of the house into a cheaper, less costly residence — I don't know how achievable that is. I don't know what kind of lease he has," Marlan said. "One thing he can do is cancel the cable. That's not an essential life function."

Kilpatrick resigned from office in 2008 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice charges and promising to pay the city $1 million in restitution to avoid a trial on multiple other charges, including lying under oath. After failing to honor the deal and being dishonest about his finances, Kilpatrick was sent to prison in May 2010.

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