“I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the city of Detroit, Case No. 03317557NZ, regarding information that was relevant to claims made by Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope. I did so with an intent to mislead the court and jury and to impede and obstruct the fair administration of justice.”
The married mayor and former top aide Christine Beatty were charged in March with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice. They’re accused of lying under oath about an affair and their roles in the firing of a deputy police chief.
Beatty did not plead guilty and next will appear in court on Sept. 11. Groner said a plea deal in Beatty’s case appeared likely.
A list of the pleas entered by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday:
- Guilty to obstruction of justice. He was accused of firing Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown as part of an effort to illegally hamper a criminal investigation and committing perjury to hide the firing of Brown or a relationship between the mayor and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty.
- Guilty to obstruction of justice. The count was amended from the original charge of perjury in court. He was accused of lying under oath in August 2007 by saying he didn’t fire Brown, didn’t know Brown was investigating him or a rumored party at the mayor’s official residence and testifying falsely as to other circumstances surrounding the termination of Brown.
- No contest to one count of assaulting or obstructing a police officer in the furtherance of their duties in connection with a July 24 incident involving two officers trying to serve a subpoena to a close friend of the mayor.
As a result of the pleas, the mayor agrees to:
- Tender his resignation immediately. It will become effective within two weeks
- Serve four months in jail
- Serve five years of probation
- Pay $1 million in restitution over the probationary period. Payments from his state pension must be assigned to the city of Detroit toward the restitution
- Not run for any elected office for five years
- Surrender his license to practice law
