Pre-Trial Conference In Detroit Corruption Case
DETROIT (WWJ) - Attorneys for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and other defendants in a City Hall corruption case Monday met with prosecutors and federal judge Nancy Edmunds.
Kilpatrick and the other defendants were not present as they set up another conference.
Now that former Kilpatrick aide Derrick Miller has taken a plea deal, we asked WWJ and Fox 2 Legal Analyst Charlie Langton if we can expect the same from former Water Department Head Victor Mercado.
"I suspect that Victor Mercardo, as well as the other defendants, want to take a look all the evidence the government has and then weigh the options. Weigh the options being whether or not it makes sense for Victor Mercado to take a deal if he can cut some time off a prison sentence," said Langton.
"Because the government, although they'd love a plea, they're not just going to give away the store," he said.
An attorney for Bernard Kilpatrick, John Shea, said he doesn't think Miller's plea will have much of an effect on the case, but Langton sees things differently.
"I would expect that any of the defendants that would take a plea would make the other defendants concerned," said Langton. "Especially because we know, under the federal sentencing guidelines, if you cooperate with the government, generally speaking you get a favorable deal."
Kilpatrick and the others are facing fraud, tax evasion, racketeering, and other charges. The case isn't scheduled to go to trial for another year.
