DETROIT – It is the kind of epic story too incredible for fiction, and now the United States of America vs. the Kilpatrick enterprise is in the hands of the jury.
The last days of closing arguments in the trial against former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and friend Bobby Ferguson had been intense, and sometimes ugly.
"It was a battle royal, for sure, and we all are glad that it has finally come to an end and the case is in the hands of the jury," said attorney Mike Rataj.
Rataj, representing Bobby Ferguson, has been slugging it out daily in federal court. Rataj says waiting for the jury deliberations is worse than the stress of handling the case.
"The worst part of the whole case is where we're at now, and that's the waiting game," he said.
What went down inside court on Friday was nothing short of mesmerizing. Federal prosecutors got the last word with the jury. Jurors were on the edge of their seats as the feds described, and illustrated, corruption which they call breathtaking in its scope.
That's not all. Prosecutors showed jurors documentation that they claim had been tampered with by Ferguson's team, putting up visual aids in court to show original paperwork compared to what Ferguson's defense team presented. There clearly was a difference.
Rataj shook his head vigorously as the prosecution played this card. However, he is prohibited from discussing it with Local 4 since the jury now has the case. Still, Rataj didn't flinch when asked what the chances for victory are.
"I don't think that we're going to lose. I'm confident that we're going to win," he said.