DETROIT (WXYZ) — The federal government's hunt for money that was donated to Kwame Kilpatrick has hit another hurdle.
Last month, the government filed an order to seize the money in an online fundraising account tied to the former mayor. However in a new court filing Wednesday, that company says they no longer have it.
“This is simply a blip on the radar screen," former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said. "It will happen eventually, it’s inevitable.”
With an unpaid tab of $193,000, Kilpatrick still has the government on his back. Schneider says the government will take every opportunity to get their money.
“Whatever means Mr. Kilpatrick takes to earn money, the government can go after that,” Schneider said. “There are a lot of different tools the government has in its toolbox to obtain money like this.”
The online fundraising campaign is where Kilpatrick and his wife solicited donations for their baby and a new home. In July, the federal government was granted an order to seize that money. However in a new filing Wednesday, the fundraising company says they don’t have the money. The account has already been closed, and the money is gone.
“This is just one location that the government identified that it wanted to get the money," Schneider said. "They will move on."
According to the disclosure, the account only raised $115 in online donations, along with 11 cash or check pledges for undisclosed amounts. Regardless of the total, Schneider says the government will keep searching.
“Remember when Kwame Kilpatrick resigned from office? He said ‘I will never quit on you,'" Schneider said. "So the message from the Justice Department is they’re not going to quit on Kwame Kilpatrick either. They’re going to look for this money and find it.”
The fundraising account was originally created in April, but the donations only came in between June 29 and July 3.
