Taxpayers to pay for Kilpatrick defense
He gets court-appointed lawyer; plea is not guilty
By M.L. ELRICK and JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

He entered the courtroom in or­ange scrubs, white socks and flip­flops, steel cuffs on his ankles. He confirmed for the judge that he could not afford an attorney.

In many ways, a typical defendant. But Kwame Kilpatrick stood out Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

As family members watched, a somber Kilpatrick was arraigned on 19 counts, from fraud to tax evasion. A grand jury issued the charges last month, alleging that the ex-Detroit mayor looted the nonprofit Kilpat­rick Civic Fund to underwrite his lav­ish lifestyle.

Kilpatrick said little in five min­utes in court. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

As Kilpatrick was escorted out of the hearing by a U.S. marshal, he looked over his shoulder at support­ers, patted his chest twice, and left.

Friend and former assistant De-Dan Milton — facing a 3 1⁄ 2-year sen­tence in federal prison for taking bribes while working for Kilpatrick — was there.

Outside, Kilpatrick’s sister, Ayan­na, told reporters: “Stay up, Detroit family, friends, ’cause we are. It’s all in God’s hands. He has complete con­trol over the situation.”

James Thomas, Kilpatrick’s law­yer from the text message scandal, was appointed Tuesday to defend him — at taxpayer expense.

“Obviously, he’s not comfortable; how could anybody be, if you come in in shackles?” Thomas said. “Mental­ly, I think he’s strong.”

Kilpatrick is expected to stay in the St. Clair County Jail while Thom­as works to get him transferred to the federal prison in Milan.