After a mounting scandal over cell phone text messages, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.
Kilpatrick will spend 120 days in jail and agreed to give up his job. He will also be on probation for the next five years. A somber looking Kilpatrick listened as the judge re-read the terms of the plea agreement.
“He understands fully the agreement he agrees to be bound by,” Kilpatrick’s attorney told the judge.
The man once dubbed “the Hip Hop Mayor” may also be responsible for covering court costs and other legal fees.
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As part of the agreement, Kilpatrick will give back his state pension. The city paid out $8.4 million to settle a case after three former police officers filed suit against the city.
Kilpatrick’s troubles began to mount in January, when a newspaper published a series of racy text messages between Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty. The messages were exchanged on city issued pagers.
Today’s legal proceedings are not the end of Kilpatrick’s troubles. He also faces additional felony charges for allegedly assaulting two deputies who attempted to serve his sister Ayanna a subpoena last month.
That case is still being investigated by the state Attorney General.
