Feds File New Charges against Kilpatrick Friend Bobby Ferguson

DETROIT (WJBK) - The feds raid the office of a Detroit city contractor with close ties to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

The raid came on the same day that the U.S. Attorney General's office filed new money laundering charges against Bobby Ferguson, who is a long-time friend of Kilpatrick.  Click here to read the indictment »

Ferguson already faces racketeering charges for trying to get city contracts.

Included in Wednesday's indictment, the grand jury alleges that Ferguson, along with members of Kwame Kilpatrick's executive protection unit, intimidated a Detroit Police officer into dropping illegal dumping charges against Ferguson Enterprises.

When the feds previously raided one of Ferguson's companies, they found more than $260,000 stuffed in a safe.

During Wednesday's raid, Ferguson's property, including heavy construction equipment, was seized. This was at Ferguson Enterprises on Wyoming in Detroit.

These latest indictments also include allegations that former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick received thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors and developers.

Along with the allegations involving Ferguson, the indictments include charges that Kwame Kilpatrick's father — Bernard Kilpatrick — was also attempting to pressure contractors to steer projects to his clients and to clients of Bobby Ferguson.

According to the indictment, in January of 2008 after failing to persuade a construction contractor working on the renovation of the Book Cadillac Hotel to hire a waste removal company that Bernard Kilpatrick represented, Bernard Kilpatrick allegedly told Ferguson that he was going to "drop a rock on [a representative of the company's] head when I find him."

Also included in the indictments are allegations Kwame Kilpatrick split kickbacks of more than $100,000 with his former chief administrative officer Derrick Miller — this in connection with the lease and sale of city properties.

It is alleged Kwame Kilpatrick also directed Miller to get money from a restaurant developer, who was seeking a loan from city pension funds, and that Miller obtained $10,000 in cash and gave it to Kilpatrick in the restroom of the developer's restaurant.