Ferguson's longtime lawyer Gerald Evelyn withdraws from upcoming bid-rigging case

DETROIT (WXYZ) - The longtime lawyer for convicted city contractor Bobby Ferguson has withdrawn as his attorney for an upcoming bid-rigging case.

Gerald Evelyn's exit was disclosed in a court filing today,  but  a reason for his departure was not provided.  Evelyn tells 7 Action News that he is still Ferguson's lawyer in the Kilpatrick Corruption Case, and they still have an excellent relationship.  Evelyn says he's just not available for the bid-rigging case.

The bid-rigging case, set to re-tried in a few weeks, went to trial originally last summer but ended in a hung jury.  Ferguson and two former business associates are accused of devising a bid-rigging scheme to steer Ferguson millions of dollars in city work.

Meanwhile, a third superseding indictment on Ferguson was unsealed Friday.  Federal prosecutors dropped a charge of structuring monetary transactions, which the jury voted 10-1 not guilty on in the first mistrial.  But prosecutors added a felon in possession of a firearm charge.

Earlier this month, Ferguson was found guilty of racketeering, bribery, and extortion along with former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

During the five-month Kilpatrick criminal trial, Evelyn suffered a heart ailment that sidelined him for two weeks and delayed the trial.