The High Cost of Kwame Kilpatrick
Former Detroit mayor gets 28 years in prison for corruption.
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The Moment of Truth - Disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption on Thursday. Here's a look back at his rise and fall, and how his "extortion, kickback and bribery rackets contributed to the Motor City's financial crisis and struggle to bounce back from bankruptcy, according to reports from the Detroit Free Press. – Joyce Jones (Photo: AP Photo/File)
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A High Price to Pay - The city of Detroit paid $8.4 million to settle a 2007 police whistle-blower trial related to Kilpatrick's sexting scandal. (Photo: courtesy of FBI/Newsmakers)
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Friends in Low Places - Kilpatrick's contractor friend Bobby Ferguson received $127 million in city contracts. According to prosecutors, he obtained at least $73 million illegally. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Bad Relations - A cousin of Kilpatrick's admitted to stealing close to $20,000 from the Manoogian Mansion restoration fund. In addition, friends and family on the city payroll received average salary hikes of 36 percent, compared to 2 percent for everyone else. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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No Honor Among Thieves - Ferguson pocketed a $500,000 state grant slated to benefit children and senior citizens. The city also spent $42,000 to lease Lincoln Navigators for the former mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Steal From the Old - The city's pension fund is minus $84 million thanks to Kilpatrick appointee and frat brother Jeffrey Beasely. He and six others are facing criminal charges and Kilpatrick has been named a co-conspirator in the case. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Muddy Waters - $9.6 million went to crooked water and sewer contracts.(Photo: Paul Sancya/AP Photo
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Sticky Fingers - Kilpatrick in his first three years charged up $210,000 on his city-issued credit card to pay for perks like a trip to Las Vegas and an $850 steak dinner. He also used $144,000 in petty cash to pay for Lions football tickets, a Rolling Stones concert and lots and lots of meals ($43,000). (Photo: Mark Cunningham/Detroit Lions/Getty Images)
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In Hindsight - In August 2001, the IRS looked into improper behavior after Kilpatrick allegedly solicited a contribution to the nonprofit Kilpatrick Civic Fund from businessman Jon Rutherford and then later pushed for a $22.7 million contract award for him. (Photo: David Coates/AP Pthoto/Detroit News)
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History Maker - Kilpatrick, at age 31, became the youngest person to be elected mayor of Detroit in 2001. He was in office until 2008, when his career began to publicly unravel.
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Incriminating Messages - In January 2008, the Detroit Free Press published text messages proving that Kilpatrick and chief of staff Christine Beatty had conducted an affair and lied about it in court at a whistle blower trial. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Kicking Back - In August 2008, the FBI investigated whether the mayor's father, Bernard Kilpatrick, was accepting bribes related to city contracts and sharing the loot with the mayor. (Photo: Rebecca Cook/Reuters/Landov)
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The Beginning of the End - In September 2008, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to felony counts of obstruction of justice, agreed to resign and pay $1 million in restitution to the city of Detroit. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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The Slammer - Kilpatrick began serving a four-month county jail sentence on Oct. 28, 2008. He was released the following October and moved to Dallas. He took a job selling medical supplies and the following year tried to have his restitution payments reduced. He claimed he had no idea who paid the rent for the spacious home his family occupied or whether his wife, who was "pissed" at him, even had a job. (Photo: David Coates/AP Photo/The Detroit News,)
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In Trouble Again - In May 2010, Kilpatrick began serving a sentence of 18 months to five years for hiding assets to avoid paying down the restitution owed Detroit, which was a probation violation. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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There's More - In September 2010, Kilpatrick, contractor friend Bobby Ferguson and others were indicted on an $11.6 million bid-rigging scheme. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Throwing Away the Key - In December 2010, a federal grand jury issued a 38-count indictment against Kilpatrick, his father, Ferguson and two other associates for felonies that included racketeering, bribery and extortion. (Photo: David Coates/Detroit News/AP Photo )
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Freed Again - Kilpatrick was released from state prison in August 2011 after serving 14 months for his asset-hiding probation violation. Meanwhile, over the next few months, several former aides and associates entered plea agreements that included testifying against the ex-mayor and provide details about his corrupt activities.(Photo: William Archie/Detroit Free Press/MCT /LANDOV)
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On Trial - Kilpatrick's five-month trial on 38 counts of corruption began in September 2012. During that period, federal prosecutors agreed to drop eight of the counts against Kilpatrick, his father and Ferguson (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Seriously, Dude? - In January 2013, Kilpatrick headed back to jail for three days for once again failing to report income.(Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)