Diverse jury seated in Kilpatrick corruption case

(WXYZ) - U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade is calling the jury selected in the corruption case involving former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick "one of the most diverse juries in recent memory in this federal judicial district ."

Kilpatrick along with his father Bernard Kilpatrick, his friend Bobby Ferguson and former city water chief Victor Mercado are all charged with racketeering, accused of running a criminal enterprise.

The jury is composed of nine women and three men. Five of the jurors are African-American.

Alternates include three men, three women and of those six - three are African-American.

Opening statements will begin on Friday.

Tomorrow, lawyers for Kilpatrick and three other co-defendants will argue that their clients won't receive a fair shake in a Detroit courtroom and that the highly-anticipated trial needs to be moved to another city. 

They blame the city's television stations and newspapers for saturating the region with stories about Kilpatrick's alleged and proven misdeeds which, they say, makes it impossible for their clients to receive a just outcome.

Attorney Mike Rataj, who represents Bobby Ferguson, said he'd like the trial moved to Cleveland or Memphis.

All of the defendants have been federally charged with running a criminal enterprise out of city hall.