As Detroit Turns

The case against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his
former chief of staff may end up with better ratings
than any soap opera on television. Check out latest
segment below. Things can only get better or worse
depending on how one looks at.


The civic soap opera engulfing Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick took a new plot twist Monday when a county prosecutor charged the onetime rising political star with obstruction of justice, perjury and misconduct in office, all related to a romantic relationship with his former chief of staff.

Facing political catastrophe and a long prison term, Kilpatrick defiantly vowed to fight the civil felony charges, which grew out of an $8.4-million settlement of a lawsuit against him by police officials and the leaking of steamy romantic text messages between the mayor and longtime aide Christine Beatty.

Kilpatrick and Beatty surrendered to authorities separately Monday. Kilpatrick was expected to face arraignment in a Detroit courtroom today.

In a brief news conference, Kilpatrick dismissed the case against him as "a very flawed process from the beginning." But the seriousness of the charges is daunting. He faces a lengthy prison term if convicted of the eight felony counts against him. Each of the four counts of perjury against him carries a maximum 15-year sentence. He faces five years each on two charges of misconduct in office and two charges of obstruction of justice.

The charges against Kilpatrick are the latest developments to derail the meteoric rise of a youthful political figure who had gained fame as "the hip-hop mayor," both for his election, at age 31, and his penchant for the high life. Kilpatrick has been dogged by allegations of a party at the mayor's mansion that featured appearances by strippers and recent revelations about his affair with Beatty.

Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy accused the mayor of lying under oath during a "public whistle-blower" trial last fall and trying to obstruct justice by attempting to hide his extramarital relationship with Beatty, who was charged with seven felony counts.





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