Kilpatrick marks birthday in Beverly Hills with Kim Kardashian, Terry Crews, others

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick celebrated his 53rd birthday Thursday in Los Angeles in the company of big names such as Kim Kardashian, Flint native Terry Crews and others as part of a celebration for a woman who spent two decades in prison for a nonviolent drug offense.

The "Five Years Free" celebration, which Kilpatrick highlighted on his Facebook page, was to mark five years of freedom for Alice Marie Johnson of Tennessee. Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts related to a cocaine trafficking operation and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

After she served two decades in prison, former President Donald Trump in 2018 commuted her sentence following lobbying by Kardashian.

"Incredible night in Los Angeles for my birthday!" Kilpatrick wrote in a post on Facebook. "Great hanging with my baby, my brother Terry Crews, and also, meeting Kim Kardashian."

Kilpatrick, who served as Detroit's mayor from 2002-08, posted photos with his wife, Crews and Kardashian. The group gathered at Spring Place in Beverly Hills, an event and co-working space frequented by leaders in the entertainment, fashion and artistic industries, according to Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, the city's primary marketing organization.

Kardashian, 42, was a vocal advocate for Johnson's release. During Thursday's event, the reality star and lawyer-in-training briefed the crowd of her thought processes while urging for the release, speaking of Johnson's absence from her family while incarcerated.

"At the time, I just was really thinking about what that would've done (to my family), and how one person's decision in a family ... when someone's sentenced — especially to life — can change an entire family," she said, according to an attendee's post on Instagram stories.

Like Johnson, Kilpatrick's sentence was commuted by Trump in January 2021. He served a quarter of his 28-year federal prison sentence for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme that rocked Detroit City Hall. 

But Kilpatrick still faces a mountain of debt. He owes millions to creditors, a figure that includes more than $854,000 in restitution to the city of Detroit as part of a separate text-message scandal that led to his resignation as mayor.

He hasn't paid anything since February 2013, according to Wayne County Circuit Court records, despite selling copies of his memoir for $19.99.

The IRS also hit him with a $634,000 tax lien last year that accuses him of failing to pay money owed from the bulk of his tenure as mayor. He also owes a $390,000 civil penalty to the government stemming from a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit.

Still, Kilpatrick was all about gratitude on his birthday.

"53 Years! Wow!," Kilpatrick wrote in another post on Facebook. "I should have lost my mind! But when I look back over my life, I realize I MADE IT! Thank you Lord for blessing me. Thank you all for praying for me. Your prayers availed much! Now, Chapter 53! Let’s get it!"

The Associated Press Contributed.

jaimery@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @wordsbyjakkar