MORE FROM THE DETROIT SEWERS

March 11 - Yesterday, former Detroit City Council president Monica Conyers was sentenced to more than three years in jail after pleading guilty to bribery last summer. (She is the wife of Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Today, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick got a subpoena to testify before the Detroit grand jury. Her office manager was also summoned.

It's likely that it is in connection with the parole violation of her son, Kwame Kilpatrick, former mayor of Detroit who was convicted of felonies while serving in office. He has failed to make restitution since his release and a judge is considering whether to return him to prison. (See previous blog post.)

UPDATE #1(March 16) The Wall Street Journal thinks the investigation is widening. " roughly a dozen metro Detroiters, most with ties to politics, are entangled in federal investigations of some kind."

Rep. Kilpatrick was investigated by the House ethics committee. They exonerated her last month following an investigation into a series of trips she took to Caribbean conferences. They determined she and her staff did not know the trips were paid in part by corporate backers.

UPDATE #2 (March 16) - To add insult to injury, taxpayers are paying for Monica Conyers' court-appointed appellate lawyer who will handle her appeal.

UPDATE #3 (March 17) - Sentencing has been delayed for Kandia Milton who worked as deputy mayor and chief of staff to Kwame Kilpatrick. Milton pleaded guilty in December to a bribery conspiracy charge. No reason given for the delay.

(Milton has a colorful history and like most Detroit politicos has unchecked hubris.) The sentencing delay may be due to possible felony Federal racketeering charges being considered against Kilpatrick and his father.
Bumped