Conflicting reports are surrounding the potential compassionate release of Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Detroit mayor serving federal time for racketeering.
On Sunday, Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett and members of Kilpatrick’s family claimed he would be released from prison this week due to concerns about his health, reported The Detroit News.
“I can tell you he’s absolutely getting out,” Whitsett said.
“Due to suffering severe health challenges we expect Kwame Kilpatrick to receive a grant for COVID-19 compassionate release from the FBOP this week. We are extremely grateful to God and we thank each and every one who has kept him and his family lifted in prayer,” his sister Ayanna tweeted. Ade Kilpatrick, his nephew, posted the same message on his own Twitter page the same day.
Kilpatrick was mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. He is currently serving a 28-year bid for corruption and racketeering charges related to criminal behavior during his stints as mayor of Detroit and a state representative. He is housed in a low-security prison in Oakdale, Louisiana. His anticipated release date is Jan. 18, 2037.
Despite the optimistic statements from Kilpatrick’s supporters, the feds denied hearing anything about Kilpatrick being released.
“We haven’t heard anything about a potential release for Kwame Kilpatrick,” federal court spokesman David Ashenfelter told The Detroit News.
Harold Gurewitz, a lawyer who represented the former mayor during his trial, expressed skepticism.
“I’m a little bit suspicious,” Gurewitz admitted. “The thing that makes the whole thing difficult for Kwame is the length of time he has left to go on his sentence.”
Rumors swirled about Kilpatrick’s release this summer but the federal Bureau of Prisons decided against transferring him to home confinement on May 26.
Kilpatrick has been appealing his sentence since 2015 and has been denied at least three times, WDIV reports. He also wrote a letter to President Donald Trump to request the commutation of his sentence but nothing came of it.
