Ex-Detroit Mayor Ally Sentenced to 21 Years

For role in corruption scheme

Bobby Ferguson will serve 21 years in prison for his role in a long-running pay-to-play scheme involving friend and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds handed down the sentence just after 11:30 a.m., but not before making a series of comments while Ferguson sat holding a Bible at the defense table. She called him the catalyst of an unprecedented and historic extortion scheme. At different points, her speech drew a snicker from Ferguson and, later, a head shake.

If he serves his full sentence, Ferguson will be 65 years old when he leaves prison.