DETROIT (AP) — A federal judge who in 2013 sentenced Kwame Kilpatrick to 28 years in prison for tax evasion and bribery said she has no regrets but feels bad for the former Detroit mayor’s family.
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds discussed the case Monday with The Detroit News after the U.S. Supreme Court declined Kilpatrick’s request to overturn his corruption conviction and sentence.
“Do I have any regrets? No,” Edmunds, 68, said Monday. “I do feel bad for his family, particularly his sons. I did the best I could. I tried to reach the best judgment I could, and I stand by it.
“I am relieved and glad it is over. No question, it was the most significant and most stressful matter that I have ever handled.”
Kilpatrick quit office in another scandal in 2008 and was found guilty of tax evasion and bribery in 2013. He is in federal prison. His appeal centered on an alleged conflict among his trial attorneys, among other technical reasons.
Kilpatrick’s attorney, Harold Gurewitz, says he’s “disappointed” about the high court’s decision.
Kilpatrick was elected mayor in 2001 at age 31 and is the son of a former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. When he was sentenced, the former mayor said he was sorry if he let down his hometown but denied ever stealing from the citizens of Detroit.
“He’s obviously a guy who had tremendous potential that could have been used in a more positive way for the city of Detroit,” said Edmunds, who was appointed in 1992. “It’s always sad to see a waste of that potential.”
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