Kwame Kilpatrick former Detroit Mayor Case
Kwame M. Kilpatrick who was the former mayor of Detroit was sentenced for 28 years in jail for being involved in a corruption scandal. The defense should not apply to either reduce Kwame’s sentence or exonerate him. Kwame had greatly embezzled the city’s funds not only during his time as the mayor but also when he was a state legislator (Spence, 2011). His corrupt actions warranted him to get the harshest sentence possible given that he was a public official. Although the defense requested that he should receive a term that is not more than 15 years, it was not possible owing to the seriousness of Kilpatrick’s crimes. The defense did not apply for the exoneration of Kilpatrick because he had committed offences like fraud, extortion and racketeering and these crimes attracted high fines and longer jail terms. The evidence against Kilpatrick was overwhelming as he even testified, “They’re hurting, and a great deal of that hurts I accept full responsibility for” (Spence, 2011). In as much as Kilpatrick pleaded guilty for these crimes, it was not possible to reduce his sentence as his corrupt actions had driven the city of Detroit to the verge of bankruptcy.
Furthermore, Kilpatrick increased the city’s liability by embezzling $1.44 billion he had brokered in 2005 for purposes of restructuring Detroit city. The former mayor even went ahead misuse over $500,000 that was donated by private donors and the state of Michigan. Rather than use the funds to assist the community he extravagantly spent the money on things like spa treatments, luxury vacations, and spa treatments (Pearson, 2012). The sentence meted on Kilpatrick can only be described as fair, and thus he does not in any way deserve to be exonerated or for his sentence to be reduced. His crime did not affect just a single family but the entire city. Moreover, this was a city that had bestowed so must trust and faith in him yet he had let them down by promoting a culture of corruption. The people of Detroit had expected that he would reject corruption only for him to fall short of their expectations. Given the overwhelming evidence against Kilpatrick, there was no need to apply for a lighter sentence. The 28 years sentence was fair and should not be contested, as elected leaders would regard it as a warning not to misuse public funds.
References
Persons, G. A. (2012). Contours of African American politics. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers.
Spence, L. K. (2011). Stare in the darkness: The limits of hip-hop and Black politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
