Kwame Kilpatrick already has a long way to go in paying off his $854,062 in restitution to the city of Detroit because of a state conviction, but his literal debt to society may soon grow larger. Significantly larger.
Kilpatrick is already in prison awaiting sentencing, and he’s likely to be remain behind bars for a dozen years or more, leaving him with little earning power beyond a top prison salary of 40 cents an hour. Some jobs pay as little as 12 cents.
Soon U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds could, at sentencing, order him to pay another million dollars or more in restitution to the city as a result of his federal court conviction on Monday for rigging city contracts.
“It could exceed a million dollars,” U.S. Barbara L. McQuade told Deadline Detroit.
Do the math.
Kilpatrick could easily end up owing the city nearly $2 million or more, with no job. It’s likely he would first be obligated to pay off the restitution in the state case before the federal one, though the money would all go to the city.
But what’s the likelihood of the city ever seeing that money anytime soon, if at all?
Not great.
The feds will continue searching for assets -- both property and cash -- to seize. But so far, it’s unclear what’s there. Kilpatrick is renting a home in Texas and has insisted he’s broke. During trial, the government paid his legal fees.
“We’ll continue to look at whether there’s any credible leads to suggest there’s money there,” says Simon Shaykhet, a spokesman for the FBI in Detroit.
Over the past years, the feds have scoured his bank accounts and entertained many thoughts about possible assets. Rumors and theories have been floated that he stashed some money overseas in Dubai where Kilpatrick had traveled. But law enforcement sources say that it’s strictly rumor, and there’s no evidence of that.
Besides any seized assets, Kilpatrick could set aside some prison wages to pay for restitution, according to Chris Burke, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Washington. Or a judge could order that the wages be garnished.
U.S. Attorney McQuade said the government will try to figure out just how much restitution should be, though the final decision rests with U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds, who presided over the case.
McQuade said in just one contract alone, the city overpaid $1.6 million dollars. Her office will work on trying to show the loss the corruption Kilpatrick and his friend, contractor Bobby Ferguson, caused the city.
Ferguson was also convicted of rigging contracts. He’s also expected to get hit with an order to pay restitution, though it appears that he has far more assets than Kilpatrick.
McQuade said the government could also go after any earnings from Kilpatrick’s book: “Surrendered: The Rise, Fall & Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick.” Though it should be noted that the greater majority of books published in America don’t make any money, and Kilpatrick’s book didn't make anyone's bestseller list.
Russ Marlan, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said the state is likely to end its parole supervision of Kilpatrick on Aug. 2. He said at the point the criminal order to pay restitution to the city could turn to a civil order. He said the obligation won’t go away.
“If he gets out of federal prison and gets a job or wins the lottery, he’d be obligated to pay.”
