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Kilpatrick Will Look At Evidence In Prison

DETROIT ( WWJ/AP) - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick can't say he has nothing to occupy his time while in prison. A federal judge says Kilpatrick can look at 24 discs loaded with evidence that could be used in the corruption case against him.

The discs hold FBI reports, text messages, grand jury testimony and secretly recorded phone calls.

"If Kwame Kilpatrick is convincted on any of these charges, he stands to spend years and years in prison," says WWJ and Fox2 legal analyst Charlie Langton.

"So, it doesn't surprise me that the government would be ordered to give every single bit of evidence that the government has to both Kwame Kilpatrick and his attorney to review," Langton said.

The warden has been told to give Kilpatrick access to a computer so he may view the discs.

Langton said that the client almost always knows more about the case than his attorney, so this could be very helpful for the defense.

Kilpatrick and his father face a sweeping indictment that accuses them of taking kickbacks and bribes in exchange for city contracts.

Kilpatrick is currently serving  a federal prison in Milan for violating probation in an unrelated state case. He could be paroled by summer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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