Beatty: I lied under oath

DETROIT (AP) - A text-messaging sex scandal that gripped the city for nearly a year ended Monday when the last main figure, ex-mayoral aide Christine Beatty, pleaded guilty to two felonies and agreed to a 120-day jail sentence.

"I lied under oath," a tearful Beatty told the judge, echoing the words her former boss, ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, uttered in a courtroom during his own guilty plea three months earlier.

Beatty offered the pleas to a pair of obstruction of justice charges, and under a deal with prosecutors, on Jan. 5 will be sentenced to serve four months in jail and five years of probation and pay $100,000 in restitution to the city.

"Under the circumstances, it was the appropriate thing," Beatty's attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said after the hearing. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she was pleased with the outcome.

"We live in a society where greed is glorified," she said. "There comes a time when you have to draw a line in the sand and say `No more."'

Beatty was charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice. She and Kilpatrick were accused of lying during a whistle-blowers' trial about being romantically involved.

They also denied their roles in the firing of a police official, but text messages between the two contradicted their statements. Kilpatrick is serving a four-month jail sentence as part of a plea to two charges.