Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Reportedly Granted Early Release
(CBS DETROIT) - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been reportedly granted an early release after spending 7 years of a 28-year sentence according to a press release from The EBONY Foundation.
Kilpatrick was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and other crimes in 2013 and was not expected to be paroled until 2037. He has a completed 7 years of a 28-year sentence.
The press release stated in March, EBONY in coordination with the National Baptist Convention of America, the NAACP, National Business League, and a coalition of over 30 Black Megachurches called for Kilpatrick's early release. In February, Michigan state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo led the charge by delivering a letter to President Donald Trump from Detroit leaders seeking clemency for Kilpatrick. Millionaire businessman Peter Karmanos lobbied for a Kilpatrick pardon from Trump, while current Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also expressed support.
The coalition's plea referenced the President's recent pardons and commutations and the extremity of Kilpatrick's sentence. According to the release, last month it was reported that a fellow inmate of Kilpatrick's died on April 25 after testing positive for the coronavirus. Patrick Jones, 49, was serving a 27-year sentence for a drug-related crime when he became ill at the federal prison in Oakdale, Louisiana.
"Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for his crimes. And while there has been a lot of debate about his guilt or innocence, we were arguing neither, rather, we were opposing the excessive nature and length of his sentence. Kwame Kilpatrick's punishment of a 28-year sentence did not fit the crime." says Rev. Keyon S. Payton, National Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, The EBONY Foundation adding, "as EBONY celebrates its 75th year we take pride in continuing to use our platform to raise awareness to issues of social justice and civil rights."
For more information on the EBONY Foundation visit here.
© 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
