DETROIT – In a letter to a district court judge, imprisoned former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick writes he cannot afford an attorney to help him fight the Detroit water department's request that he pay $19 million for a corrupt contract.
Kilpatrick is fighting the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's allegation that he oversaw more contract bid-rigging while he was in office. The water department has filed a civil lawsuit.
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In the letter, Kilpatrick tells Judge Arthur Tarnow that the city is wrong. He wants an extension so he can prepare to fight the claims.
"After speaking to several attorneys, and even asking for referrals from attorneys that are currently representing me in other matters, I have been unable to hire an attorney. I don't have the money to pay the requested Attorney's Fees, nor do I have anyone that I can ask for help in this effort," he writes. "I reached out to Mike Lang, and he directed me to write this letter for request." (view the full letter below)
Kilpatrick is serving a 28-year prison sentence after being convicted on numerous corruption charges, including racketeering. He resigned from office in 2008 after pleading guilty to perjury. He's now housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma.
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