Monday, March 24, 2008

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an ex-aide have been charged with perjury and obstruction of justice


Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an ex-aide have been charged with perjury and obstruction of justice after prosecutors said sexually explicit text messages between the two contradicted their sworn court testimony.


Kilpatrick, who is married, has been snarled in a well-publicized sex scandal since January after The Detroit Free Press reported he exchanged romantic text messages with his then-chief of staff, Christine Beatty.
The paper reported in January that in an analysis of nearly 14,000 text messages on Beatty's city-issued pager, it found some from 2002 and 2003 that indicated the two were having a romantic affair.
The newspaper report contradicted testimony Kilpatrick gave last August in a court case brought by police officers against the mayor and the city of Detroit alleging the mayor retaliated against the officers for their role in investigating his office. Critics alleged that Kilpatrick committed perjury in the case and called for his resignation.
In testimony during that case, Kilpatrick and Beatty both denied having a romantic relationship. Beatty resigned as Kilpatrick's chief of staff on January 28.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she charged Kilpatrick and Beatty with multiple counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office in a 12-count indictment. The most serious charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Worthy also said others may be charged in the case. She asked Kilpatrick and Beatty to turn themselves in by Tuesday morning.

No comments: