Change of venue in Kwame Kilpatrick trial denied by federal judge in Detroit

Change of venue request denied in Kilpatrick Enterprise trial

DETROIT – A federal judge has denied a request that the trial of Kwame Kilpatrick be moved out of Detroit.

The paperwork for a change of venue was filed Thursday morning,

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A jury was selected Wednesday for a Detroit trial. The 12 jurors include four African-American women, one African-American man, one Hispanic woman, two white men and four white women.

View: Judge's change of venue ruling

Alternates include: two white men, one white woman, two African-American women and one African-American man. Those jurors will decide if the former mayor was running a criminal enterprise with family and friends which included taking cash bribes, kick backs, vacations, private jets and more in exchange for getting contracts in the city.

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Other defendants in the case include Kilpatrick's dad Bernard Kilpatrick, his childhood friend Bobby Ferguson and ex-Detroit City Water boss Victor Mercado.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin Friday.

Complete coverage: Kwame Kilpatrick's federal trial