Top aide to Kilpatrick pleads guilty
From Sunshine Review
2 December 2008
Christine Beatty, top aide to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, pleaded guilty on two felony obstruction of justice counts. Along with paying $10,000 in restitution to the city, Beatty agreed to serve a four month jail term, with five years probation. During that time, she will no longer be able to pursue her law degree.[1]
The settlement almost mirrors that of Kilpatrick's. He is currently serving a four month jail term with five years probation, agreeing to pay $1 million in restitution to the city, and relinquishing his law license.
[edit] "I lied"
After the judge read the terms of Beatty's settlement, the former aide said, "I lied under oath." During the investigation, Beatty and Kilpatrick both gave testimony and court and in a deposition declaring they never had a sexual relationship and denying that two police officers were fired over fear the affair would be exposed.
Their testimony was directly contradicted when sexually explicit text messages, sent on city-issued pagers, came to public light. Beatty and Kilpatrick were charged with 15 felonies, including perjury and obstruction of justice. After the settlement, Beatty read a statement apologizing "to all of the people that were harmed in this ordeal," explicitly referencing both her and Kilpatrick's family, along with the residents of Detroit.[2]
[edit] Prosecution happy
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she is happy with the terms of the settlement, stating, "I think it's a fair resolution to this. I would have liked it to happen sooner. Come Jan. 5, when she is sentenced, we can truly move on from this chapter in Detroit history."[2] Although she did not elaborate, Worthy said that related investigations are still ongoing.
Beatty will be sentenced January 5, and has been ordered to say in Detroit until then.
