Derrick Miller
Standing upright and confident, Kwame Kilpatrick's ex-friend and key aide at city hall, Derrick Miller was sentenced to 12 months in a halfway house for taking bribes and tax related crimes.
Miller, who had known Kilpatrick since the 9th grade, was indicted along with the ex-mayor and three other people in 2010.
But instead of going to trial, he gambled, pleaded guilty and became the government's key witness. Even after doing all that, he still faced up to 10 years in prison under the sentencing guidelines.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds acknowledged that he was the key witness who helped tie the government case together. She also noted that he was involved in wrong doing.
“It was his testimony that brought it all together,” said Edmunds. “I know how extremely difficult this had to have been for you. This was a lifelong friend… and testifying against someone as close to you as Kwame Kilpatrick was … it took tremendous courage.”
Miller, who was dressed in a black suit and powder blue shirt with his initials monogrammed on the cuff of his shirt, told the judge:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of Detroit, my friends and family for their enormous capacity to show love and forgiveness."
Byron Pitts, Miller's attorney, said outside the courthouse that they accept the sentencing and Miller planned to "move on like a man."
Miller worked as the chief administrative officer for Kilpatrick from 2002-2005 and then as chief information officer the following couple years.
In 2010, he was indicted for bribery along with Kilpatrick, contractor Bobby Ferguson, Kilpatrick's dad Bernard and ex-water department head Victor Mercado.
He pleaded guilty and admitted receiving $115,000 in kickbacks from a real estate company in connection with lease and sale of Detroit properties and failing to report to the IRS $568,000 in “consulting fees” from a real estate company that the Detroit pension fund invested in. He also talked about giving kickbacks to Kilpatrick and passing on a $10,000 bribe to him in a bathroom.
Mercado was sentenced last week to eight months in a halfway house. Kilpatrick got 28 years. Bobby Ferguson got 21 years and Bernard Kilpatrick got 15 months in prison.
In both instances, the judge said that she felt she couldn't sentence Mercado or Miller to more time than Bernard Kilpatrick.
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