Kilpatrick fundraiser charged with income tax evasion

Detroit— Emma Bell, a longtime fundraiser of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, was charged in federal court with income tax evasion, according to court records made public Thursday.

Bell owes more than $92,000 in federal income taxes after receiving at least $256,000 worth of checks from Kilpatrick's mayoral campaign and inauguration committee, according to court records.

Bell, 67, is the latest person charged in connection with a City Hall corruption probe that has netted at least 18 felony convictions — and she is expected to plead guilty, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Bell is the unnamed female fundraiser referenced in a 38-count indictment issued against Kilpatrick on Dec. 15, which accused the ex-mayor of taking more than $286,000 in kickbacks from his fundraising director. Campaign finance records show cash changing hands between Kilpatrick and Bell on key dates listed in the indictment.

Her lawyer did not respond immediately to a phone call seeking comment, and it is unclear if she will testify against Kilpatrick or cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"I'm not surprised" by the charge, political consultant Eric Foster said Thursday. "The Kilpatrick organization was one where the individuals that were part of it all had a mentality and approach that they were above the law."

The charge clouds Bell's reputation as one the preeminent political fundraisers in the area and the top African-American fundraiser. She has raised money for Kilpatrick's mother, former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick; former Mayor Coleman Young; and top officials in the administration of former Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara, Foster said.

Foster suspects she was not charged in connection with the alleged kickbacks in exchange for cooperating with the corruption probe.

"What I suspect it says is she is cooperating and providing as much information as she has," Foster said. "Emma is very smart, very intelligent and not the type of person who wouldn't have records."

The Detroit News first reported about Bell's tax problems in late December. At the time, she owed more than $153,000 in delinquent state and federal taxes, according to public records.

She willfully attempted to evade income taxes between 2006 and 2008, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"She conducted her banking activity with the intent to prevent the Internal Revenue Service from learning of her unreported income, that is, she purchased and used cashier's checks and conducted cash transactions in the amounts of $10,000 or less…," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Bullotta and Mark Chutkow wrote in court records Thursday.

They are the lead prosecutors in the City Hall corruption case against Kilpatrick.

In the Kilpatrick indictment, the fundraising director is simply identified as "The Fundraiser" in the indictment against Kilpatrick, his father, Bernard, and three close associates.

Kilpatrick told the fundraiser he wanted her to give him a portion of the commissions she received for the fundraising efforts, according to the indictment.

The fundraiser met with Kilpatrick on several dates between August 2003 and May 2008, according to federal court records. Two dates, in particular, coincide with Bell and Kilpatrick's business dealings.

On April 17, 2008, Kilpatrick's mayoral campaign paid Bell a $25,000 consulting fee, according to state campaign finance records. Weeks later, on May 8, the campaign paid Bell an additional $25,000.

On each date, "The Fundraiser" paid Kilpatrick $10,000, for a total of $20,000, according to the indictment.