Kwame Kilpatrick’s federal racketeering and extortion convictions may mean the former Detroit mayor will not be able to pay the city approximately $850,000 in restitution in another case.
Monday, Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted on more than 20 counts of racketeering. extortion and other charges. The former mayor faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
In 2008, Kilpatrick agreed to pay a million dollars in restitution as part of a guilty plea to state obstruction of justice charges. He also served time in prison.
Russ Marlin is the state corrections department spokesman. He admits its unlikely Kilpatrick will repay the rest of his restitution before he starts serving what may be a long federal prison sentence.
“It won’t go away,” says Marlin, “but as he’s serving his time in federal prison his ability to pay it, I would think, would be significantly diminished as he won’t be earning any income.”
Marlin says it will be up to the court that ordered the restitution payment to determine if there are other assets that can be used to pay the debt.
Kilpatrick’s record of paying his restitution has been somewhat spotty. For the last two months, his mother paid the mandatory $500 installment.
