Emma Bell/DOJ photo
Cooperating with the feds can payoff.
That's what Emma Bell, Kwame Kilpatrick's chief fundraiser, discovered Thursday. She had agreed to provide key testimony in his corruption trial in exchange for a lesser sentence in her tax evasion case.
The sentencing guidelines in her tax case called for a sentencing range of 18-24 months. The government recommended a range from 9 to 12 moths and her attorney asked for probation.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds sentenced her to two years probation and ordered her to pay $334,000 in back taxes and perform 100 hours of community service, according to the Detroit News. She was also banned from casinos and must attend a substance abuse program.
“It’s unfortunate you got caught up in the underlying activity that characterized the corruption of the Kilpatrick administration,” Edmunds said. “It’s clear you recognized your mistake early on and came forward to rectify it.”
Bell testified in Kilpatrick's public corruption trial that she was required to give Kilpatrick a kick back of half of her commission when the checks reached $5,000 or more. In all, she said she gave him about $200,000.
Until her sentence Thursday, Bell realized there was a possibility she might have gotten prison time.
So, after court when it was all done, she expressed relief.
“I’m so relieved," she said, according to the News. "I’m a lot better than I was when I first walked through the door.”
