Democrat mayor in sex scandal
2008-03-24 21:57
Detroit - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a one-time rising star and Detroit's youngest elected leader, was charged on Monday with perjury and other counts after sexually explicit text messages surfaced that appear to contradict his sworn denials of an affair with a top aide.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy also charged the popular yet polarising 37-year-old Democrat with obstruction of justice and misconduct in office.
Former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, 37, who also denied under oath that she and Kilpatrick shared a romantic relationship in 2002 and 2003, was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.
In all, Worthy authorised a 12-count criminal information.
"This case was about as far from being a private matter as one can get. Honesty and integrity in the justice system is everything.
"That is what this case is about," Worthy said at a news conference.
A perjury conviction could bring up to 15 years' imprisonment and force Kilpatrick to relinquish the mayor's office.
Kilpatrick's case is one of several instances recently of sex scandals tainting US politicians.
Eliot Spitzer stepped down as governor of New York a week ago after getting caught up in a prostitution scandal and his successor, David Paterson, was forced to come clean about his repeated marital infidelities.
- AP