Mich. seeks almost $1M from Kilpatrick

DETROIT, June 14 (UPI) -- Michigan has filed a motion arguing former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should be fined nearly $1 million for paying lawyers with campaign funds.

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said Monday the fine should be equal to the fees paid illegally, the Detroit Free Press reported. That would be $976,493.

Last year, then-Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land offered Kilpatrick a settlement of a $1,000 fine and $10,000 restitution. While Kilpatrick's lawyer said he expected his client to take the deal, the former mayor did not agree to the settlement.

The fees were paid in the text message scandal involving Kilpatrick's affair with his former chief of staff. In March, he admitted lying about the affair, saying he was trying to protect his family.

Kilpatrick, who is serving a Michigan prison term for violation of probation and faces federal corruption charges, has other financial problems. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy argues he should forfeit anything he makes from his upcoming autobiography, The Detroit News reported.