DETROIT (AP) — A judge is defending how she handled the case of a former Detroit-area airport official who killed himself rather than report to prison for accepting more than $6 million in kickbacks in a record-setting corruption investigation.
James Warner's body was discovered Friday, a day after he was supposed to turn himself in for a 10-year sentence. He was convicted in 2019 but allowed to remain free while pursuing appeals.
“Mr. Warner agreed to continue mental health treatment and his doctor certified he was not a danger to himself," U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts said. “Mr. Warner abided by all conditions the court set for him. He did not appear to be any danger to himself.”
She said she was glad that Warner spent time with his family while many people in prison were vulnerable to COVID-19.
Warner, 55, was an infrastructure manager at the agency that runs Detroit Metropolitan Airport, from 2010 through 2014. He was convicted of steering more than $43 million in contracts to people in exchange for more than $6 million in kickbacks — “the highest bribe totals in district history,” prosecutors said, referring to Detroit and eastern Michigan.
The government had warned the judge in 2019 that he might flee or harm himself if granted bond while filing appeals, The Detroit News reported.
“It’s just a real shock, quite frankly,” defense attorney Harold Gurewitz said of Warner's death. “I’m sorry that this has happened.”
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