DETROIT – Team Kilpatrick came out swinging on Tuesday telling jurors witness Karl Kado was a career criminal.
According to the defense team, Kado was a shady businessman who skimmed cash instead of paying his tax bills and paid off Cobo Hall officials to get work in Detroit. The defense says Kado was looking at a lengthy jail term unless he could help the FBI take down the Kilpatricks.
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"I think at the end of the day I don't think the man has much credibility," said defense attorney Mike Rataj. "He's certainly trying to save his skin."
Kado, along with a team of attorneys, found out the FBI was investigating Kwame Kilpatrick. Kado wanted to stay out of jail and said he would do anything to help. The FBI wanted him to record phone calls with Kilpatrick, wear a secret recording device for personal meetings and tell jurors how he was extorted and paid bribes to the former Detroit mayor.
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On Tuesday, defense attorneys argued the secret recordings do not prove any extortion or bribes took place and that Kado's stories of paying Kilpatrick and his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret bribes to keep contracts is fictitious nonsense made up by a dishonest businessman who would say anything to avoid prison.
"From our perspective, from the defense perspective, I don't think Mr. Kado even put a nick on us," said Rataj. "So, it is what it is. The jury will have to decide that."
Kado's memory has come into question although he seems pretty good for a man trying to recall specifics which took place about 10 years ago.