Attorney: Ferguson earned his money from water department deals - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Attorney: Ferguson earned his money from water department deals

Posted: Updated:
  • Elrick's take on the Kilpatrick Trial

  • Monday, March 25 2013 9:58 PM EDT2013-03-26 01:58:06 GMT
    The lead FBI agent on the Kilpatrick case spoke to the reporter that broke most of the stories about the former mayor's misdeeds.  Among the new information he unearthed is what the feds called their investigation.
    The lead FBI agent on the Kilpatrick case spoke to the reporter that broke most of the stories about the former mayor's misdeeds.  Among the new information M.L. Elrick unearthed is what the feds called their investigation.
  • Monday, March 11 2013 7:16 PM EDT2013-03-11 23:16:31 GMT
    Fox 2's M.L. Elrick was in the courtroom when Kwame Kilpatrick heard the words guilty over and over again.  He said the former mayor's "jaw dropped" as the verdict was read.
    Fox 2's M.L. Elrick has covered the Kilpatrick incorporated trial from gavel to gavel and was in the courtroom when Kwame Kilpatrick heard the words guilty over and over again.  He said the former mayor's "jaw dropped" as the verdict was read.
  • Thursday, March 7 2013 8:14 PM EST2013-03-08 01:14:46 GMT
    "That pay-to-play was horrible," said Detroit's mayor.  "That does not exist today."  So what's being done to make sure it doesn't happen again?  We went looking for answers, and you'll be surprised at what we found.
    "That pay-to-play was horrible," said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.  "That does not exist today."  So what's being done to make sure it doesn't happen again?  We went looking for answers, and you'll be surprised at what we found.

DETROIT -- Bobby Ferguson has taken a beating in court from prosecutors, who say he raked in millions on allegedly dirty deals.  Tuesday, we heard Bobby's story.

Ferguson didn't feel much like talking on Monday.  On Tuesday, his attorney had plenty to say.

"The government has misled the jury, and that was proven during cross examination today," said Mike Rataj, who defended his client inside the courtroom and hugged him outside the courthouse.

Rataj says Ferguson earned the millions in Detroit Water Department contracts he received under Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"You can't get paid unless you do the work, period," he remarked.

Rataj showed jurors how things work at the water department where contracts are often changed and payouts often exceed initial expectations.

Under cross examination, water department official Daniel Edwards acknowledged that contractors working on similar projects made far more changes than Ferguson and received much higher payouts.

"You could see that a lot of other contractors got a heck of a lot more in number of change orders and the amount of the change orders, but this is not unusual.  This is the nature of the beast," Rataj said.

Edwards also testified that former water department chief Victor Mercado helped clean up the department and said he was a good boss.

We can expect to hear a lot more about Ferguson and Mercado in the coming days, but Rataj says it's way too early to make any predictions about how this case will end.

Powered by WorldNow
Didn't find what you were looking for?
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Fox Television Stations, Inc. and Worldnow. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Ad Choices