Public Media from Michigan State University

Kilpatrick Sentenced To Prison

DETROIT, MI –

A judge has sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to 18 months to five years in prison for violating the terms of his probation on an obstruction of justice conviction.

Kilpatrick asked Judge David Groner to show him compassion during the Tuesday hearing. But Groner said "that ship has sailed."

Kilpatrick was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

Groner ruled last month that the 39-year-old Kilpatrick failed to report all of his assets and meet other conditions of his probation.

Kilpatrick was ordered to pay the city $1 million after pleading guilty in 2008 to obstruction of justice. Sexually explicit text messages showed Kilpatrick lied under oath about an affair with a staffer.

Meanwhile, Kilpatrick has been fired from his job as a medical software salesman for Dallas-based Covisint.

Covisint's parent company says in a statement that "Kwame Kilpatrick will be off the Compuware Corporation payroll at the end of the month." The statement continues: "We don't have any choices. It's an unfortunate situation, and we feel bad for his family, but our hands are tied."

Compuware Chair Peter Karmanos defended Kilpatrick's hiring in 2009, but warned further trouble could mean termination.

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