Cost of Lying in Court: 120 Days, Law School Delay for Detroit Mayor's Ex-Aide
In the latest chapter of a criminal case that ignited public interest with its allegations of sex, lies and steamy text messages between the former Detroit mayor and his ex-top aide, a Michigan judge has calculated the cost of Christine Beatty’s courtroom prevarications.
“Lying in court has a price tag, even for those who are the politically elite within the community,” Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny told Beatty, as she was sentenced this morning to 120 days in jail in an obstruction case. The former chief of staff for ex-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Beatty, 38, also was sentenced to five years of probation and will be required to pay the city $100,000 in restitution, reports the Detroit News.
And, the newspaper adds, Beatty “also cannot attend or get credit for law school classes during that time.”
The sentence was in accord with a plea bargain Beatty made last month; Kilpatrick, who agreed to a plea bargain several months earlier, also was sentenced to 120 days and five years of probation. He must pay $1 million in restitution, and forfeited his license to practice law.
As discussed in the News article and detailed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, the obstruction case was sparked by a police investigation of alleged impropriety among the ex-mayor’s inner circle. Litigation resulted after two police officers allegedly suffered retaliation as a result of this work. It settled for $8.4 million, as soon as it became clear that testimony in the police whistle-blower case by the then-mayor and Beatty conflicted with text messages they had sent—and that those text messages had been obtained by the plaintiffs’ legal counsel.
Although Kilpatrick and Beatty apparently hoped the settlement would keep secret their 2003 affair, a number of the text messages eventually became public. This led to the obstruction case and the mayor’s resignation from office last year.
While the criminal cases against Kilpatrick and Beatty have now concluded, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says it is possible that charges will be made against others based on the 600,000 text messages she has collected in the course of her investigation, the Detroit News reports.
Earlier ABAJournal.com coverage:
Detroit Mayor Jailed, Will Lose Law License—and Is Still Under Investigation
Detroit Text Messages Reviewed in Tort Case Over Exotic Dancer’s Death
