Contractor: Mayor's friend got cut of work

• Tweet

DETROIT, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A man who couldn't remember facts about his own company could recall insults from a friend of a former Detroit mayor who allegedly got a cut from corrupt deals.

Thomas Hardiman testified for the fourth day Wednesday in the corruption trial of ex-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his friend Bobby Ferguson and Kilpatrick's father Bernard Kilpatrick, The Detroit News reported Thursday.

Hardiman, who subcontracted work for Lakeshore Engineering Services, said Ferguson often bad-mouthed Hardiman, once calling him an "idiot" when Hardiman failed to do what Ferguson wanted.

Under cross examination by Ferguson's attorney, however, Hardiman could not remember who worked for his own company, how much he was paid, or what type of equipment his company owned, the newspaper reported.

Hardiman said the engineering firm lost two city contracts before agreeing to give Ferguson 25 percent of the work. Ferguson implied the contract "had to go across the mayor's desk," he testified.

After agreeing to Ferguson's demands, Lakeshore won contracts worth more than $145 million, Hardiman testified.

Hardiman added that Ferguson also pressured him to pay $600,000 to one of Ferguson's companies that did little actual work.

Hardiman is scheduled to continue his testimony Thursday.