Former Detroit Deputy Mayor Sentenced for Bribery Scheme Related to Sale of Camp Brighton

KANDIA N. MILTON, 39, of Detroit, former deputy mayor of Detroit, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Gerald Rosen to 14 months in prison for participating in a bribery scheme, United States Attorney Barbara McQuade announced today. McQuade was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent In Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court records, in late 2006, MILTON agreed to help Rivers with the sale of the city-owned Camp Brighton/Detroit Recreation Camp to a non-profit entity. At the time, MILTON was the City Council Liaison for the then-Mayor of Detroit and Rivers was a Detroit police officer. Rivers said that if the city approved the sale, he would give MILTON part of his $50,000 commission. At the recommendation of the city administration, including MILTON, the city council approved the sale of Camp Brighton to the non-profit entity for $3.5 million in June 2007. After the sale closed, Rivers recruited a middleman to accept his commission because Mr. MILTON and his brother DEDAN MILTON, who also was involved, could not take the money directly given their positions as city officials. In order to conceal further the MILTON brothers' role in the sale and also to prevent issuance of a currency transaction report to the IRS, the middleman broke the non-profit entity proceeds into multiple payments with $19,000 going to MILTON, consisting of three checks to an associate of MILTON for $4,500 and $5,000, and one check to MILTON for $5,000. MILTON gave the middleman $1,000 from MILTON's original $20,000 share for his assistance.

Since pleading guilty, MILTON has cooperated in the government's investigation of other criminal conduct, which the Court deemed to be "substantial assistance."

MILTON was given a downward departure from his guidelines range of imprisonment because of this cooperation.

United States Attorney McQuade said, "This sentence properly balances the need to punish abuses of the public trust with consideration for substantial assistance in the government's investigation of others who have engaged in corruption."

Special Agent In Charge Arena said, "For citizens to have confidence in their government, they must be certain their public officials will not use their position for personal gain. The Detroit community can be assured that public corruption will remain a top priority for the FBI.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Chutkow and R. Michael Bullotta.