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Kwame Kilpatrick Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Conviction, 28-Year Prison Sentence

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his corruption conviction and 28-year prison sentence.

The request was recently made after a federal appeals court said in October it had no interest in taking a second look at the case.

In 2013, Kilpatrick was found guilty of two dozen crimes, including tax evasion and bribery. A jury found that he rigged contracts, took bribes and committed other corrupt acts.

"He created a 'pay-to-play' system for the provision of city goods and services, which compromised vast swaths of city government, including the water and sewer system, the convention center, the pension system, casino developments and recreation centers," prosecutors said in a court filing. "City government essentially became up for grabs for the right price."

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August affirmed the conviction, but Kilpatrick wanted the full appeals court to hear the case. Attorney Harold Gurewitz had told reporters afterward that the Supreme Court appeal was being planned.

Kilpatrick's appeal has centered on an alleged conflict among his trial attorneys, among other very technical reasons. The appeal also said FBI agents were given too much latitude to act as experts in their testimony.

Kilpatrick remains jailed at a federal prison in Oklahoma. He quit the mayor's office in 2008 during a different scandal involving sexually explicit text messages and an extramarital affair with a staffer.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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