DETROIT, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Convicted Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick still owes $860,000 in restitution and has not filed his taxes since 2008, e-mails obtained by the Detroit News say.
Kilpatrick, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to two felony counts of obstruction of justice and received five years' probation as part of his sentence, sent personal e-mails to prison officials in Michigan and in Texas, his current residence, which were obtained by the newspaper from the Michigan Department of Corrections. The messages claim he is broke, unable to make a single payment on court-ordered restitution, and intends to catch up on his taxes by April 15.
Details were published Monday, as Michigan prison officials, concerned he is living beyond his means in a Grand Prairie, Texas, home valued at $372,000, are poised to change his parole conditions and increase his repayments to the city of Detroit from $160 to $500 per month.
The disgraced mayor has been ordered to report to the Texas Workforce Commission to register for work. His book sales and speeches are his work, he claims.
"We would not consider occasional speaking engagements to be steady employment," Texas Criminal Justice Department spokesman Jason Clark said.
