Defense lawyers argued in the federal public corruption trial of Kwame Kilpatrick that businessman Anthony Soave is so rich and powerful that there’s no way he could have been intimidated by ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his friend Bobby Ferguson,
Soave conceded he’s tough, Jim Schaefer and Tresa Baldas report in the Detroit Free Press.
But rich or not, Soave said Thursday, one thing is for sure: He once hired Ferguson after the ex-mayor made it clear that’s what Soave had to do to get a deal rolling.
“You keep on not understanding me,” Soave said on cross-examination. “He said, 'Use Bobby Ferguson.' You don’t want to hear it, but I keep on telling you that’s the way it went.”
Soave, whose bravado and wisecracks had the jury laughing numerous times, also wanted to make another point clear.
