Bobby Ferguson
Back in the day, when Detroit contractor Bobby Ferguson was on trial with his good buddy Kwame Kilpatrick, he had a certain swagger. He also played the role of a guy with deep pockets.
While Kilpatrick and his dad had court-paid attorneys, Ferguson had three lawyers, all of whom he chose to pay for -- or shall we say, at least get invoices from. One of them, Susan Van Dusen, is a high-priced, high-profile Miami attorney. Ferguson and Kilpatrick ended up getting convicted and are awaiting sentencing.
Things have changed. Ferguson , who landed at least $83 million in contracts while Kilpatrick was mayor, is pleading poverty, or at least claiming he he can't afford to pay for an attorney. He needs one for a retrial in another case in which he's accused of rigging a $12 million-bid for a Detroit city contract involving low-income housing. The first trial last year ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked.
On Thursday, after dealing with a lot of interesting little hurdles. U.S. DIstrict Judge David Lawson ruled that Ferguson is entitled to a court-appointed attorney. The ruling came after Ferguson filled out a financial affidavit, something he had been resisting for weeks.
Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press reports:
This financial affadavit had become a sticking point in the case as Ferguson for weeks had refused to fill out the form detailing his assets, arguing he could incriminate himself by offering the information. But according to Lawson, Ferguson filled out the form and turned it in to the court this morning.
After a brief, private interview with Lawson in the courtroom -- the prosecution was kept outside -- Ferguson convinced Lawson he couldn't afford a private attorney.
Baldas noted that the U.S. Attorney's Office, which has seized a lot of Ferguson's assets, was not going to be able to see the affidavit.
Ferguson, who appeared in court Thursday, is living these day in the Milan federal prison where he's awaiting sentencing on the public corruption charges in the Kilpatrick case. U.S. DIstrict Judge Nancy G. Edmunds has refused to let Ferguson or Kilpatrick go free pending sentencing, citing concerns that they are a flight risk.
