Former pension fund trustee gets 57 months

DETROIT (AP) — A retired Detroit police officer who served as a pension fund trustee has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for corruption.

Paul Stewart was convicted of conspiracy. He was accused of taking money from people who wanted pension fund investments.

Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds sentenced Stewart on Tuesday as he stood with his hands clasped together in a prayer pose. He was a police officer until 2011 while also serving as a pension
trustee and union official.

Stewart, who is black, took responsibility. But defense lawyer Elliott Hall claims Stewart’s race was a factor. He noted that another pension fund trustee who is white accepted money but wasn’t charged.

Prosecutor Stephanie Dawkins Davis says the racism allegation is “scurrilous.”