Victor Mercado
The Kwame Kilpatrick case is back in the news.
Ross Jones of WXYZ reports that fed prosecutors, in a sentencing memorandum filed Thursday, said they want Victor Mercado, Detroit's former water and sewerage department director, to spend 18 months behind bars. Mercado's attorneys say he should get probation.
Mercado, who ran the city water department under Mayor Kilpatrick, was indicted along with Kilpatrick in a bribery and kickback case. When the trial started he was one of four defendants. The others included Kilpatrick, his dad Bernard Kilpatrick and Kwame's friend Bobby Ferguson.
Mercado appeared to have the best chance of getting acquitted of the four. But as the trial got underway, he decided to bow out and plead guilty to a conspiracy charge. The three remaining defendants were convicted.
Sentencing is set for next week. Another defendant in that indictment, Derrick Miller, a Kilpatrick appointee, pleaded guilty before trial.
He is set to be sentenced later this month. -- Allan Lengel
