Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick avoided calls for his resignation this afternoon, despite felony charges announced earlier in the day by Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, were indicted on counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office and conspiracy. The charges stem from testimony in a police whistle-blower trial.
Reading a prepared statement, Kilpatrick did not state outright that he would not resign, but instead said he would continue working for progress in Detroit. He said he was disappointed but not surprised at the charges.
“This has been a very flawed process from the very beginning,” he said. “This is merely the first step in a process that I believe in, that’s grounded in the presumption of innocence.”
His attorney, Dan Webb, said he was concerned about “selective prosecution.” Webb said his research had not turned up any other instance in which the county prosecutor had charged a witness with perjury in a civil case.
Webb said he advised Kilpatrick not to resign before a jury trial. “I don’t believe that politics should result in him being denied his day in court. He worked hard to become mayor of this city,” he said.
An investigation was launched after the Detroit Free Press revealed in January that text messages showed Kilpatrick and Beatty had lied under oath when they denied having an extramarital affair.
The messages also showed that the two provided misleading testimony about firing former Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown after he and former mayoral bodyguard Harold Nelthrope began inquiring about a rumored party at the mayoral mansion.
In the whistle-blower case, a civil jury awarded Brown and Nelthrope $6.5 million in damages. Although Kilpatrick had vowed to appeal, he abruptly decided to settle the case and a a second suit for $8.4 million.
After the Free Press revelations, Kilpatrick apologized for his conduct but refused calls for his resignation.
Felony charges filed by Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy against Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty
Count 1 - Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty.
Conspiracy to obstruct justice. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
Count 2 - Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty.
Obstruction of justice by firing Gary Brown, interfering with a criminal investigation and committing perjury to hide the firing of Gary Brown and the relationship between Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
Count 3 - Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty.
Misconduct in office for firing Gary Brown and obstructing or interfering with a criminal investigation of Kwame Kilpatrick’s personal conduct/or EPU conduct and/or committing perjury to hide the firing and the true nature of the relationship with Christine Beatty. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
Count 4 - Kwame Kilpatrick.
Misconduct in office by authorizing the City of Detroit to enter into an $8.4-million settlement of the Gary Brown/Harold Nelthrope and Harris litigations with the corrupt motive of preventing the release of text message and other information evidencing that Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty lie under oath. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
Count 5 - Kwame Kilpatrick.
Perjury for testifying as a witness that he did not fire Gary Brown and/or testifying that he did not know that Gary Brown was investigating him. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 6 - Kwame Kilparick.
Perjury for testifying that he didn’t have a romantic or sexual relationship with Christine Beatty. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 7 - Christine Beatty.
Perjury for testifying as a witness that Gary Brown was not fired and/or testifying that she did not know that Gary Brown was investigating Kwame Kilpatrick or the Manoogian Mansion Party and/or testifying falsely as to the other cicrumstances surrounding the termination of Gary Brown. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 8 - Christine Beatty.
Perjury for testifying that she did not have a romantic or sexual relationship with Kilpatrick and that she did not use her Sky-Tel communication device to send or receive messages of a personal or sexual nature to Mayor Kilpatrick. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 9 - Kwame Kilpatrick.
Perjury for willfully swearing falsely to a notary public about the circumstances of the “un-appointment” of Gary Borwn statement June 26, 2003, about the circumstances surrounding Brown’s dismissal. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 10 - Kwame Kilpatrick.
erjury for lying in a notarized statement about circumstances of Gary Brown’s “un-appointment”. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 11 - Christine Beatty.
Perjury for lying in a notarized statement that she did not know Gary Brown was investigating the Manoogian Mansion Party before his “un-appointment” or the circumstances surrounding his removal. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
Count 12 - Christine Beatty.
Perjury for lying in a notarized statement that she wasn’t aware of Kwame Kilpatrick’s extramarital affairs. Punishable by a maximum penalty of 15-years in prison.
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