Mayor Franklin's Daughter Pleads Guilty

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A daughter of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin pleaded guilty on Monday to helping launder money for her ex-husband, who is serving life in prison for his involvement in a drug dealing operation, prosecutors said.

Kai Franklin, 35, of Atlanta, entered the plea in federal court in Greenville, U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd said.

Franklin's ex-husband, Tremayne Graham, was indicted in 2003 for conspiring to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of Mexican cocaine from Los Angeles to Atlanta and South Carolina. After his indictment, Graham ran from authorities for three years until his arrest in June 2006. During that time, Franklin paid $14,000 on the couple's mortgage using more than a dozen postal money orders, Lloyd said. In court on Monday, Franklin admitted to structuring the transaction in an attempt to hide it from the Internal Revenue Service.

Graham was convicted of drug charges in April and is serving life in prison. At his trial, Graham's co-defendants testified that Franklin received thousands of dollars in drug money, as well as portions of $150,000 in drug money invested in an airport concessions company run by her father, David Franklin, the mayor's former husband. Franklin faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for illegally structuring a financial transaction. She will be sentenced later, Lloyd said.

Prosecutors do not believe the Atlanta mayor knew about her daughter's illegal activity, Lloyd said. The mayor's office declined comment Monday, calling it a "personal matter."