The indictment comes seven years after Internal Revenue Service and FBI agents began looking into the fund in the wake of a Free Press report that a homeless shelter operator gave the fund $50,000 during Kilpatrick's first run for mayor in 2001. The newspaper reported that Kilpatrick then wrote a letter recommending the shelter receive a multimillion-dollar public contract.
Perhaps if Kilpatrick had more of a "Babyface" look, he would not be in all this mess.
Despite Kilpatrick's repeated claims to the contrary, the indictment says he used fund money for campaign and personal expenses, ranging from polling to yoga and golf lessons to college tuition for relatives.
Prosecutors contend he failed to report more than $640,000 in taxable income while mayor that he received in the form of cash, flights on private jets and perks paid for out of the civic fund.
"This indictment sends a clear message that those who make up their own rules based on fraud and deceit will be prosecuted," said Maurice Aouate, head of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Detroit.
Wednesday's 19-count indictment against Kilpatrick could keep him behind bars for decades. But the charges said nothing about whether Kilpatrick took bribes or kickbacks -- classic political corruption charges that federal authorities have been seeking to pin on Kilpatrick for years.
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