Kwame Kilpatrick has begun serving his prison term in Oklahoma at the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center.
Kilpatrick's scheduled release date is August 2037.
The former Detroit mayor was sentenced in October of last year to 28 years in prison.
--Sketch by Jerry Lemenu
Before he was sentenced, Kilpatrick said he was sorry, but denied stealing money from the city.
"I just want people to know that I am incredibly remorseful for the conditions of the city and any role, any part I played in it," he said. "The government talked about stealing from the city. Wow ...I've never done that, your Honor."
Read exact breakdown: Sentencing for each of Kwame Kilpatrick's convictions
Kilpatrick, 43, quit office in 2008 because of a different scandal involving sexually explicit text messages and an extramarital affair.
He was forced out while the auto industry was nearing collapse and Detroit's unstable finances were deteriorating even more. The city now is run by a state-appointed emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, who took Detroit into Chapter 9 bankruptcy last summer as a last-ditch effort to fix billions of dollars in debt.
SPECIAL SECTION: Kwame Kilpatrick's federal trial