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Huge
Cash
Transactions
Focus of
Kilpatrick
Corruption
Trail
By Karen
Hudson
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
An agent
of the
IRS was
the
first
witness
to
testify
in the
public
corruption
trial of
former
Detroit
Mayor
Kwame
Kilpatrick.
The
prosecution
presented
exhibits
of bank
records
from
2001 to
2008
that IRS
agent
Ron
Sauer
said
totaled
$531,401.72
in cash
transactions
by
Kilpatrick;
for
everything
from
cashier
checks,
to
credit
card
payments.
Sauer
testified
that he
investigated
Kilpatrick’s
banking
activity
at First
Independence,
JP
Morgan
Chase
and
Premier,
a bank
in
Florida.
Defense
attorney
Jim
Thomas,
asked
the IRS
agent
about
possible
sources
of the
cash
deposits,
from
gifts to
Kilpatrick,
to
salary
from
wife
Carlita
Kilpatrick.
No
exhibit
or
evidence
to
establish
a source
for the
cash was
offered
into
evidence.
However,
no
correlation
between
the
accounts
of
Kilpatrick
and
Bobby
Ferguson
was
confirmed
either.
Ferguson,
along
with
Bernard
Kilpatrick
and
water
chief
Victor
Mercado
are
accused
of a
complex,
bribery,
racketeering
and
extortion
scheme
to bilk
millions
of
dollars
from
city
contracts.
The
second
witness
to
testify
was
Jerome
Robinson,
a former
employee
of First
Independence
Bank’s
downtown
branch.
He was
questioned
whether
the
amount
and
frequency
of
Kilpatrick’s
cash
transitions
was
normal
activity.
“For a
business,
yes.”
Upon
further
probing
Robinson
said he
served
individual
customers
with
similar
cash
activity.
Witnesses
from the
ex-Mayor’s
staff
also
testified
they
carried
out cash
transactions
on the
behalf
of the
ex-
Mayor.
Chad
Smith,
assigned
to the
Kilpatrick
family
security
detail
told the
court he
removed
$1,500
in cash
from a
pair of
Kilpatrick's
shoes to
pay a
credit
card
bill.
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