DETROIT – Bishop J. Drew Sheard with Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ said the recent news of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick being released from prison is good news.
“I’m so happy, as his pastor, to be able to say that he developed a sincere relationship with the Lord. He’s a minister now. He was leading worship services in the prison,” Sheard said of Kwame.
UPDATE: US releases former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from prison
In 2013, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison after he was convicted of racketeering, mail fraud, wire fraud and more charges.
“I always thought his sentence was extremely too harsh, extremely too long,” Sheard said.
Kilpatrick will soon be a free man after serving seven years of his 28-year sentence. On Jan. 19, then-President Donald Trump commuted his prison sentence.
Several well-known pastors, like Bishop Sheard, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Bishop Charles H. Ellis III with Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, have all expressed their support for Kilpatrick.
READ: Nearly 8 years ago: Kwame Kilpatrick is convicted on 24 federal felony counts
“I think that most everybody ought to be able to say about the religious communities that we are people not just of faith, but we’re people of mercy; we’re people of grace,” Ellis said.
Ellis said he thought Trump would have made his decision during the election season.
“I was kind of surprised because I thought that it would might come trying to get votes as opposed to after (his) defeat,’ he said.
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