Good to hear about this one; this guy was a straight up thug, just like the former mayor.
(Reuters) – A friend and former business associate of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick must serve 21 years in prison for corruption, a federal judge said Friday, a day after she handed Kilpatrick one of the longest prison terms ever given a U.S. politician.
Bobby Ferguson, 44, would stop at nothing to further his business interests, said U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds in sentencing him on nine counts including extortion and bribery. Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
“The atmosphere of corruption forced many good people away from the city,” said Edmunds. “The impact on the morale of the city of Detroit cannot be overstated.”
Ferguson’s lawyers had argued for a sentence of no more than 10 years, saying the government sought to lay the blame for all of Detroit’s ills on Ferguson and Kilpatrick.
Detroit, which filed for bankruptcy in July, has lost more than half of its population since the 1950s, leaving it with a shrinking tax base and huge debt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bullotta had argued for Ferguson’s sentence to be equal to Kilpatrick’s, on the grounds that Ferguson was the “muscle and money man” who bullied business people, threatening financial harm and cancellation of their city contracts if his demands were not met.
via Friend of ex-Detroit mayor gets 21-year sentence for corruption | Reuters.