Feds say they're ready to retry Ferguson in bid case

DETROIT (AP) -- The federal government says it's ready for a retrial in the bid-rigging case against a Detroit contractor whose business flourished when Kwame Kilpatrick was mayor. The Detroit Free Press says in documents filed last Thursday federal prosecutors asked U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson to reject Bobby Ferguson's request that his retrial be postponed until after his upcoming public corruption trial. A federal judge declared a mistrial last month in Ferguson's bid-rigging case. Ferguson, ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and two others face several charges involving bribery, extortion and fraud in a separate public corruption trial scheduled to begin Sept. 6. Ferguson's retrial was scheduled for Aug. 21. Defense lawyer Gerald Evelyn said that's too soon, since he's also representing Ferguson in the public corruption trial. Published: Mon, Jul 30, 2012