So what could Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announce Monday?
ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATOR HEATHER CATALLO HAS A LOOK IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHTSCRIPT[HEATHER]
Kym Worthy's announcement on Monday is the final piece of this puzzle that so many have been waiting for. And Action News has learned about a new charge that they mayor could be facing.
The Wayne County Prosecutor has been investigating Mayor Kwame Kilptarick and his former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty ever since the text message scandal came to light in January.
Text messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty revealed that the two may have lied on the stand about their affair, and about whether they fired former Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown.
Now The Investigators have learned what kind of charges Prosecutor Kym Worthy may level at the mayor and Beatty:
In addition to possible perjury charges, the mayor could face felony misconduct in office charges, along with felony obstruction of justice charges.
[Peter Henning/Wayne State Law Prof.] “Obstruction is sometimes viewed as an easier case to win again it involves a lot of gray areas.”
Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning says perjury is a tougher case to prove.
[Peter Henning/Wayne State Law Prof.] “For perjury, you have to show actual falsity, that the witness’s answer was false, and the witness intended it to be false. And you have to look at not only the answer but the question.”
The mayor could also be charged with felony misconduct in office. But Henning says that is also a tough case to prove.
[Peter Henning/Wayne State Law Prof.] The problem with pursuing that type of charge is, was the mayor using the authority of his office if he testified falsely. That is, he was testifying in his official capacity and certainly concerned city business, but not clear if testifying the job of the mayor.”
