Beatty's sister: Kilpatric Civic Fund cash went for camp, rent

DETROIT -- The sister of Kwame Kilpatrick's former mistress took the stand in his corruption trial Thursday. She had plenty to say about how the former mayor used money from his civic fund.

Kilpatrick's attorneys had a tough time trying to defend some of the money that the civic fund spent. We heard a lot about where the money was spent, but we still don't know where it came from.

Christine Beatty got more than $100,000. Bernard Kilpatrick got $50,000. April Edgar, who signed the checks, said she got paid, too.

Edgar, who is Christine Beatty's sister, testified that Kilpatrick's nonprofit cut checks totaling more than $320,000 for things like a family outing to the Great Wolf Lodge, the Kilpatrick kids' stay at SuperCamp and rent for the Kilpatricks' condo.

Prosecutors believe the payouts amount to fraud because contributors to the nonprofit were told it would be used to improve the lives of all Detroiters, not just friends and family of the mayor.

Defense attorneys have said throughout the trial that Kilpatrick had not been running the fund since he took office in 2002, but Edgar testified that he was the one telling her where to send the money.

An official from the Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society testified that a Kilpatrick cousin tried using a civic fund check for $10,000 to buy furniture from the Manoogian Mansion when the Kilpatricks moved out.

The official, Mary Fleming, said she sent the check back and Kilpatrick paid with a personal check.

Kilpatrick's attorney has justified most of the civic fund's spending as necessary to restore the mayor's reputation. That, in turn, would help him raise more money for the civic fund. Still, we haven't heard much that suggests Detroiters gained a lot from all that dough that passed through the civic fund.