Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and official misconduct today stemming from a sex scandal and the prominent Democrat's handling of an $8.4 million settlement of a whistle-blower lawsuit against the city.
The controversy surrounding the politician once seen as a rising star in his party has deadlocked city government and could spill over to presidential politics and the issue of how the Democratic Party handles Michigan delegates still being contested by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The eight-count criminal indictment announced by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy included two counts of obstruction of justice and four counts of perjury. The perjury charges each carry a prison term of more than 15 years.
"The justice system was severely mocked and public trust was trampled on," said MsWorthy in a scolding rebuke of the embattled mayor. Ms Worthy said lawyers for the city of Detroit had attempted to thwart her two-month investigation and said some evidence had sought by prosecutors had gone missing or been destroyed. Mr Kilpatrick's former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, was also indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice.
Mr Kilpatrick, 37, has said he will remain in office and fight the charges as he attempts to rally support for a $300 million investment programme in the city.
The criminal charges stem from text messages between Mr Kilpatrick and Ms Beatty dating back to 2002 that first disclosed in January by the Detroit Free Press. The text messages appeared to show they lied under oath when they testified in a police whistle-blower lawsuit last year that they had not had a sexual relationship or discussed the firing of a police official.
Mr Kilpatrick agreed to settle that lawsuit at a cost of more than $9 million to the city after learning that the lawyer for the police officers suing had copies of the text messages he had exchanged with MS Beatty. Lawyers for Mr Kilpatrick and the plaintiffs then arranged to keep the messages confidential, a detail not disclosed to the City Council when the settlement was approved.
The announcement was the latest sex-related scandal to hit a top US politician. Last week Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor of New York following a report that he was being investigated for patronizing a prostitution ring.
Detroit's City Council has urged Mr Kilpatrick to resign and vowed to continue its own investigation of the scandal.