Democrat Rep. Chaka Fattah Guilty onFederal Corruption Charges

Guilty on 29 separate federal charges.

6.22.2016

On Tuesday, A Philadelphia jury convicted Democrat Congressman Chaka Fattah on an astonishing 29 separate charges involving bribery, money laundering, fraud and racketeering.

Fattah lost his primary bid in April and will be out of Congress for the next term, but he has not indicated he will leave office immediately following convictions.

“Today’s decision notwithstanding, it has been my privilege to serve the constituents of the Second Congressional District for over 20 years,” Fattah said in a statement released hours after the verdict.

“While today’s outcome isn’t what we had hoped, I respect our nation’s judicial system,” he said.

A summary of charges include:

The jury convicted Fattah on money laundering charges related to his borrowing of $1 million from a donor during his unsuccessful campaign for Philadelphia mayor. Fattah later repaid part of the loan by using funds from charitable and federal grants received by his nonprofit, the Educational Advancement Alliance.

The jury also found Fattah guilty of using funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to help pay off his son’s student loan debt.

Fattah was also found guilty of accepting bribes while trying to secure an ambassadorship or appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission for former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman.

Additionally, Fattah was convicted of helping to award federal grant money to a political consultant in exchange for forgiving a $130,000 campaign debt. Fattah allegedly told the consultant to apply for a $15 million grant, which he did not receive.

The White House responded to the convictions by saying they were evidence that President Obama's Department of Justice can act "without political interference" -- an obvious reference to the ongoing investigation of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's email server.