DETROIT – Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has asked a federal judge to overturn his corruption conviction and grant him a new trial.
Kilpatrick was found guilty of racketeering, extortion, tax evasion and wire fraud in March.
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The paperwork requesting a new trial was filed Monday.
In his request, Kilpatrick claims the court permitted the admission of hearsay which denied his right of confrontation.
Kilpatrick also claims the grand jury selection process violated his right to a fair trial -- saying the jury pool had an underrepresentation of African Americans and was not a fair cross section of the community.
The motion also claims Kilpatrick was unable to have a fair trial due to the "constant and persistent media attention".
READ: Kwame Kilpatrick files motion for a new trial
It reads, in part, convictions of defendants have been overturned when the trials are conducted in "an atmosphere that was utterly corrupted by press coverage". It goes on to read: The press has consistently vilified Mr. Kilpatrick. The media focus on this case in particular has been overwhelming in not only the volume of the coverage, but also the increasingly vitriolic tenor of the coverage. The media consistently referred to the masters as the "Kilpatrick Corruption trial," as if corruption was a fact already problem.
Earlier this month Kilpatrick filed a federal appear to overturn a judge's denial of his bond request. The appeal was filed after U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds denied the request -- for the third time. Kilpatrick has argued that he is not a flight risk or a danger to the community and wants to be out while he awaits sentencing.
Federal prosecutors have been fighting the requests for bond ever since. Judge Edmunds has held firm on her decision to deny it.
Kilpatrick's mother, ex-U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, had offered her Detroit home as collateral to ensure he shows up to court for sentencing.
Kilpatrick is currently awaiting sentencing at a federal prison in Milan. He faces up to 20 years or more in prison.
From left: Kwame Kilpatrick, Bobby Ferguson and Bernard Kilpatrick in court. March 11, 2013.