DETROIT - The former top aide and ex-lover of disgraced ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick followed her old boss to jail Tuesday, the last step in a criminal case that shook up Detroit politics for a year after romantic text messages between the pair made headlines. Christine Beatty, once an influential figure at Detroit City Hall, waved goodbye to loved ones as she was ushered from a courtroom to begin a 120-day jail stay for obstruction of justice. She will serve her term in Wayne County jail, where Kilpatrick has been serving an identical sentence since late October.

Beatty and Kilpatrick, both 38, were charged with lying about their affair under oath during a 2007 civil trial on claims that two police officers were punished for investigating alleged wrongdoing in the mayor's inner circle.

The officers won their case, ultimately costing the city millions of dollars, but the scandal didn't break until January 2008 when the Detroit Free Press published sexually explicit text messages that exposed courtroom lies and extramarital trysts by Beatty and Kilpatrick, former high school classmates.

"It's now my hope that with this sentencing ... that this chapter in the city's history will be closed," Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny said.

Beatty, Kilpatrick's former chief of staff, agreed to the sentence when she pleaded guilty in December. Kenny made it official during a morning court hearing.

Beatty also must pay $100,000 to the city and cannot attend law school during her five-year probation.

Given the chance to speak, Beatty declined, saying: "No, your honor. Thank you."

Kenny praised Beatty for her "dignified" conduct during various court hearings but also criticized her and her former boss, blaming them for a scandal that damaged the city.

"I do think that this case does represent the triumph of truth over political power and might and it also indicates, I think, that lying under oath in court has a price tag, even for those who are the politically elite within the community," the judge said.

Deputy Chief Gary Brown and officer Harold Nelthrope claimed their police careers suffered when Kilpatrick learned they suspected misconduct by his security unit. Among the allegations: Police bodyguards helped cover up Kilpatrick's extramarital affairs.

A jury ruled in favor of Brown and Nelthrope, and Kilpatrick vowed to appeal. But he subsequently settled the case and another one for a total of $8.4 million when he learned that a lawyer for the former officers had obtained the mayor's text messages.

The publishing of the messages ignited a political crisis and a criminal investigation. City Council members said they hadn't known the settlement deal carried secret provisions to forever keep a lid on messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty.

Beatty quit her City Hall job after the story broke, and the pair were charged in March. Kilpatrick, a Democrat, held onto his job for months before making a deal with prosecutors and leaving office in September.

County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said during a post-sentencing news conference that she hopes the case "has taught us that right is right and wrong is wrong, that trying to cover up that wrong is even worse and it can be expensive."

Beatty's attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said Beatty had little money - "$6 and some change" in a bank account. The judge said he would like to hold a hearing in the months after Beatty's release to discuss whether she has been able to get a job and begin making payments toward the $100,000 total.

Beatty, a divorced mother of two young daughters, also owes her lawyers $746,000.

The Rev. Ronald Griffin, Beatty's pastor, said she learned some important lessons during the ordeal and that her silence Tuesday in court reflected the weight of the case.

"She's having a tough time just understanding her life's changed. She could not speak," he said. "I think justice was served. What I teach is, we choose our sins but not our consequences. Chris gets it."

Morganroth predicted Beatty could be released in around 70 days with credit for good behavior and participation in certain jail programs. But the actual length of the stay will be determined by the Wayne County sheriff's office, which runs the jail.

Written By COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE

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