Introduction
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Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick reached an agreement with federal prosecutors over the return.
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Kilpatrick filed motions in both criminal cases arguing that his obligation to return should be deemed fully satisfied.
Detroit (Fox 2) – Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to return the remainder of more than $823,000 to the city, according to court documents.
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The amended judgment ordered Kilpatrick to pay approximately $1.7 million in restitution, and the federal government has been collecting the money through garnishment actions, including as recently as a writ filed in December 2025.
Kilpatrick filed motions in both cases arguing that his obligation to return should be deemed fully satisfied. However, the court approved a sealed, stipulated agreement to continue withholding Kilpatrick’s Michigan Legislative Pension and Payment Plan.
Kilpatrick and federal prosecutors both agreed that as of January 27, 2026, the remaining restitution balance was $823,649.09. Kilpatrick also waived his right to a garnishment hearing and agreed that his pension and other income would be garnished.
As a result, the court denied Kilpatrick’s motion, finding it moot.
DETROIT – OCTOBER 28: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick appears for sentencing in Wayne County Circuit Court on October 28, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan. Kilpatrick will spend four months in jail as part of a plea deal he accepted in September in which he pleaded guilty to two felonies and pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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 was sworn in in January 2002.
While serving as mayor, he was implicated in a wide-ranging corruption scheme that included accepting bribes and misusing nonprofit funds to purchase luxury goods. 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 a pardon and commuted his sentence.
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FOX 2 used information from federal court documents.
