Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick makes deal to pay over $800K in restitution, court documents say

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding more than $823,000 in remaining restitution to the city, according to court filings.

Big picture view:

An amended judgment ordered Kilpatrick to pay about $1.7 million in restitution, and the federal government has been pursuing collection through garnishment actions, including filing writs as recently as December 2025.

Kilpatrick filed motions in both cases arguing that his restitution obligation should be considered fully satisfied. However, the court approved sealed, stipulated agreements for a continuing garnishment of Kilpatrick’s Michigan Legislative Retirement System pension and a payment plan.

Both Kilpatrick and federal prosecutors agreed that the remaining restitution balance as of Jan. 27, 2026, is $823,649.09. Kilpatrick also waived his right to a garnishment hearing and agreed that his pension and other income are subject to garnishment.

As a result, the court denied Kilpatrick’s motion as moot.

DETROIT - OCTOBER 28: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick appears in Wayne County Circuit Court for his sentencing October 28, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan. Kilpatrick will spend 4 months in jail as part of a plea deal he accepted back in September in

Expand

The backstory:

Kilpatrick served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1996 to 2001 and was elected House minority leader, becoming the first Black lawmaker to hold the position. He was later elected mayor of Detroit and sworn in January 2002.

During his time as mayor, he was involved in an extensive corruption scheme that included accepting bribes and misusing nonprofit funds for luxury items. In March 2013, he was convicted on 24 federal counts and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

In January 2021, then-President Donald Trump granted Kilpatrick clemency, commuting his prison sentence.