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Ex-Mayor's Corruption Trial Halts For Lawyer's Illness

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A federal judge has recessed ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's corruption trial after a defense lawyer became ill in court.

Reporting from the courthouse, WWJ Newsradio 950's Vickie Thomas said Gerald Evelyn, who represents co-defendant and contractor Bobby Ferguson, was cross-examining a witness Monday when he became ill.

Evelyn asked  for a five minute break and  Judge Nancy Edmunds halted the proceedings.

Thomas said Evelyn then put his head down and that's when emergency crews were summoned.

Evelyn was conscious as he  was wheeled out of the courtroom on a stretcher. There was no immediate word on his condition.

The defendants in the trial include Kilpatrick, Ferguson, Kilpatrick's father Bernard and ex-Detroit water chief Victor Mercado.

Kilpatrick faces tax, conspiracy, fraud, extortion and bribery charges.

Kilpatrick was elected mayor in 2001. The married mayor resigned in 2008, pleading guilty to obstructing justice for lying about having sex with Beatty. He served 14 months in prison for violating probation in that case.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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