DETROIT – Bobby Ferguson has been granted early release from prison, according to court documents filed Thursday.
United States District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds filed an opinion granting Ferguson, the longtime friend of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a compassionate release due to “extraordinary and compelling reasons warranting a sentence reduction in this case.”
“(Ferguson) served a slightly longer term of imprisonment than a more culpable co-defendant (Kilpatrick) ... his motion comes during an unprecedented global pandemic and Defendant has an increased vulnerability to the virus,” reads the opinion in part.
Take a look at the full opinion here:
Bobby Ferguson compassionate released by Clickon Detroit on Scribd
Thanks to a sentence commutation from the Trump administration, Kilpatrick was released from prison in January after he served more than seven years of a 28-year prison sentence for corruption crimes. Ferguson had been convicted and sentenced alongside the former Detroit mayor in 2013.
The two were described as a team who committed bribery, extortion and other crimes. Ferguson was sentenced to 21 years in prison on convictions he extorted millions during his time as a contractor in Detroit and orchestrated it all with Kilpatrick.
At the time of Ferguson’s sentencing, Judge Edmunds said the evidence showed that Kilpatrick often went to bat for his buddy Ferguson and punished contractors who didn’t make room for Ferguson on excavation projects. Edmunds said despite the fact that Ferguson was not a public official, he was still a catalyst in the scheme and that he perpetuated an atmosphere of corruption that forced many people out of the city.
Ferguson most recently has been housed at the Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Lisbon, Ohio. His release date was listed as Jan. 29, 2031.
Ferguson is still ordered to pay restitution of more than $6 million, detailed in the document below.
Read more: Nearly 8 years ago: Kwame Kilpatrick is convicted on 24 federal felony counts
Bobby Ferguson Amended Judgement by Clickon Detroit on Scribd