Kilpatrick's cousin arraigned on embezzlement charges

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Kwame Kilpatrick's cousin Nneka Cheeks has been arraigned on embezzlement charges relating to when she worked in the Mayor's office.

During the Friday hearing, Cheeks pleaded not guilty and was released on a personal bond. She is due back in court in May.

She was told not to leave the state, and to surrender her passport.

Her attorney said she is not a flight risk because she has a 7-month-old child and has lots of family ties to the area. He says she is a student and has no prior record.

The Michigan Attorney General's office filed the criminal charges against Cheeks on Thursday. She is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars for the Manoogian Mansion's charitable funds. The 40-year-old is accused of taking $19,000 and using it to pay for diamond jewelry, a wedding reception, cosmetic injections and other personal expenses.

The Public Integrity Unit of the Attorney General's office says that while Cheeks was employed in the Detroit Mayor's office she embezzled the money from the Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society. The alleged embezzlement happened between 2007 and 2009.

The Michigan Attorney General's office lists the following as questionable expenses related to the case:

• $1,140 to Brides Made Fit for in-home personal fitness training;
• $450 to Dr. Mok’s Allure Medical Spa for mesotherapy, a cosmetic injection treatment performed on Cheeks;
• $3,590 in payments to The Roostertail restaurant put toward the cost of Cheeks’ wedding reception for more than 200 guests;
• $2,619.08 to Jewelry Factory in Livonia for diamond jewelry, including a 1.25 carat loose diamond and Cheeks’ husband’s wedding band;
• $3,943.40 to Pioneer Credit Recovery to pay off a relative’s debt;
• $3,091.95 to Art Van Furniture for living room and dining room furniture delivered to Cheeks’ home;
• $1,300 to Michigan Veterinary Specialists for the care of Cheeks’ dog, Trouble, and;
• $4,025 in cash withdrawals.

Cheeks has been charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and eight counts of embezzlement from a charitable organization. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all the charges.

Cheeks turned herself in Friday morning. She left her court hearing without comment. However, her attorney says she is "devastated." No members of her family commented on the case.

The criminal charges are in addition to a civil suit that has been filed by the Attorney General's Charitable Trust Section. That suit asks Cheeks to account for the money she handled, return the money and pay damages. According to the Attorney General's Office she has failed to answer the suit in court.