Kilpatrick associate allegedly sought $100K for city favors
Detroit — Former Detroit treasurer Jeff Beasley allegedly shook down an Alabama billionaire for a $100,000 donation to Kwame Kilpatrick's legal defense fund during a dinner at the MGM Grand Detroit casino, according to a new federal court filing.
The filing offers a first-person view of an alleged extortion demand by the former mayor's fraternity brother, who was charged in February with taking bribes and kickbacks while serving on the city's pension funds.
"Based on his look and what he said and his tone, it was a demand," businessman Donald Watkins said, according to a July deposition transcript obtained by The Detroit News. "I felt like I was being extorted."
The filing Monday adds previously undisclosed details to pay-to-play allegations aired in a civil lawsuit involving two Detroit pension funds and Watkins.
Beasley's lawyer did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The city's two pension funds sued Watkins in 2008 to recover $30 million loaned to him a year earlier to buy a cargo airline.
By Robert Snell
From The Detroit News:
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