Ex-mayor returns to prison after racketeering conviction

Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been convicted of corruption charges, ensuring a return to prison for a man once among America’s youngest big-city leaders.

Jurors convicted Kilpatrick of a raft of crimes, including racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years behind bars. He was portrayed during a five-month trial as an unscrupulous politician who took bribes, rigged contracts, and lived far beyond his means while in office until autumn 2008.

Kilpatrick wore a surprised, puzzled look at times as US District Judge Nancy Edmunds read the jury’s verdict: Guilty of 24 charges, not guilty on three, no consensus on three more. He declined to speak to reporters as he left the courthouse.