Affair with Detroit mayor could be costly

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DETROIT, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Prosecutors say Detroit's former police monitor, who allegedly had a secret affair with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, should forfeit the fees she was paid.

In a court filing Monday, the U.S. Justice Department said the city's demands for financial sanctions against Sheryl Robinson Wood are excessive, The Detroit News reported, because her employers did not know of her conflict of interest. Robinson Wood served as a federal monitor from 2003 to 2009, supervising the city's compliance with a court order following a civil rights suit against the police department.

"Sanctioning Robinson Wood in the amount of the fees paid for her own work, although a steep price to pay, is appropriate in light of her role as an agent of the court and the nature and extent of her deception," Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey R. Murray said.

The city has demanded $10 million from Robinson Wood and the companies that employed her.

Councilwoman Kwame Kenyatta said Kilpatrick, now serving a state prison term, should also be penalized for the affair with Robinson Wood.