Disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been in a federal prison for a few years now.  On several occasions in the past, there have been rumors that he would be granted an early release. His rapid rise to fame in the city fell apart just as rapidly from convictions on racketeering and corruption charges.

Now the early release idea is being revived.  His sister and a Detroit area state lawmaker are doing more than just hinting that Federal Bureau of Prison administrators are ready to grant Kilpatrick an early release. Democratic State Representative Kate Whitsett told the station over the weekend that Kilpatrick was going to be released. Yesterday. That didn’t happen though.  And Kilpatrick’s sister posted on social media that the former mayor’s release was pending.  FOX 2 reports Ayanna Kilpatrick tweeted over the weekend that Kilpatrick was suffering from medical issues.  She indicated he was expected to receive a “COVID-19 compassionate release” from the prison.

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FOX 2's legal analyst is reporting Kilpatrick's release could be based upon a couple of situations. One of which would be the claimed virus-related situation.  The other could involve a presidential pardon. The former mayor is in the midst of serving his 7th year of a long, 28-year prison term. His trial captured national attention as federal prosecutors presented a string of allegations involving corruption and racketeering. Kilpatrick however has been steadfast in maintaining his innocence. He served as a Democratic mayor of Detroit for about 7 years between 2001 and 2008. He was convicted on five counts of extortion, along with mail, wire and tax fraud, racketeering, and bribery.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has so far not responded to multiple media inquiries about the claimed pending release.

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