A US congressman is facing criminal charges related to his campaign finances, his lawyer has said.

New York Republican Michael Grimm, elected in 2010, has been under investigation by justice department officials for at least two years.

His lawyer, William McGinley, said the charges were part of a "politically driven vendetta" against his client.

In January, Mr Grimm apologised after threatening to throw a reporter off a balcony in the US Capitol.

The congressman said he would "break" a cable news journalist who brought up an investigation into his campaign funds.

Reflecting on the imminent charges, which were communicated to Mr Grimm on Friday in a phone call, his lawyer said: "When the dust settles, we will be vindicated."

The charges stem from Mr Grimm's first election to Congress, when he was part of a wave of conservatives backed by the Tea Party movement, which advocates small government and minimal taxes.

The New York congressman has acknowledged receiving hundreds of thousands in campaign donations from followers of an Israeli rabbi, Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto.

Some members of Pinto's congregation have said they made tens of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, including gifts passed through fake donors, but Mr Grimm has denied knowledge of any such wrongdoing.

In a case made public this month, the FBI has also accused a woman who had been romantically involved with Mr Grimm of funnelling at least $10,000 (£5,952) to his campaign through friends who agreed to have the donations listed under their names.

In US campaign finance law, individuals are only allowed to contribute up to $2,600 per election cycle directly to a single campaign.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27167241

Apparently Grimm has turned himself in to the feds ~ the [unconfirmed] "facts" presented above are damning ~ and we know he has a "temper" ... but that isn't illegal ~

Sooz

Everyone has the right to be an asshole. He's just exercising his right...

20 counts ... YIKES! ~ there's an old saying in litigation: if you throw enough crap at the wall, some is bound to stick ~ sounds like that's exactly what's happening here ~ Sooz

GOP Rep. Michael Grimm indicted on 20 counts
04/28/14 03:55 PM
By Steve Benen

As expected, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), a former FBI agent who’s been the subject of a long-time criminal investigation, was indicted today.


Grimm was released on a $400,000 bond. Pending trial, the congressman is not permitted to travel outside the continental United States and he will have to surrender his passport.

Talking to reporters outside a New York courthouse, Grimm described himself as “a moral man,” who is now the victim of a “political witch hunt.” The congressman has vowed not to resign.

Complicating matters a bit, the New York Republican is facing a lengthy list of charges – including impeding the IRS, conspiracy to defraud the United States, perjury, filing false tax returns, mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud, and the hiring of undocumented immigrants – but as Roll Call noted, all of the charges relate to Grimm’s private business ventures that pre-date his election to Congress four years ago.

That’s important because Grimm is also under investigation for alleged campaign-finance irregularities – which may or may not lead to additional charges in the future.

As we discussed on Friday, the New York Times ran a report in February 2012 on allegations the congressman skirted fundraising limits and accepted envelopes with cash in them in 2010, during his first campaign. The Times also documented Grimm’s business partnership with a fellow former FBI agent who was indicted on racketeering and fraud charges.

In July 2012, a federal grand jury was convened after the FBI’s public corruption unit interviewed several Grimm campaign workers. A law enforcement source told the New York Daily News at the time, “Let’s say, so far, it is a tool to get people’s attention – that we are serious about our questions about the congressman.”

And in January, the FBI arrested a Grimm fundraiser on charges that she illegally funneled more than $10,000 into his campaign.

In other words, the GOP congressman has had a “no good, very bad” day, but his troubles aren’t quite over.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-rep-michael-grimm-indicted-20-counts#break

"... an unusual political endorsement ..." wins for "most ridiculous understatement" ~ why would anyone endorse either of those candidates? ~ and yet the NY Daily News just might get both of its wishes since recent polls show Grimm skating to an easy win ~ ~ Sooz

TPM LIVEWIRE
Newspaper Roots For Michael Grimm To Win Reelection Then Go To Prison
By Ahiza Garcia Published November 3, 2014, 4:57 PM EST

One of New York's biggest newspapers wished for two things in an unusual political endorsement this weekend: that Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) would win reelection and that he would then be convicted of a federal crime.

In an editorial headlined "Very Grimm choice," the New York Daily News quipped that the race for New York's 11th district was a bleak one. Grimm's Democratic challenger, the newspaper said, was an even worse choice than an incumbent who's been indicted on federal charges and recently threatened to toss a reporter off a balcony.

"In Domenic Recchia, the Democrats have fielded a candidate so dumb, ill-informed, evasive and inarticulate that voting for a thuggish Republican who could wind up in a prison jumpsuit starts to make rational sense," the Daily News wrote. "At least Michael Grimm can string three sentences together."

The Daily News also saw an upside if Grimm ends up winning and then going to prison: a do-over.

"Should he be convicted," the Daily News wrote, "Grimm has promised to resign, paving the way for a match between two fresh candidates. All the better."

The Daily News was at least the second newspaper in the past week to give Grimm an endorsement despite the possibility that he could wind up behind bars. The Staten Island Advance on Thursday published an editorial that practically apologized for endorsing Grimm but then did it anyway.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michael-grimm-daily-news-endorsement

A good illustration of the state of USian politics. We aren't much better (e.g. Dean Del Mastro).

NY Daily News is a f)(king joke. they are to news what styrofoam is to nutrition.

This was one monster of a plea-bargain ~ ~ Sooz

12.23.14
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress
Staten Island Republican Michael Grimm is pleading guilty to tax evasion Tuesday afternoon, but he doesn’t appear to think that should keep him from serving his constituents.

Michael Grimm just got re-elected to Congress in November, so why should he resign over a minor detail like pleading guilty to a felony?

As first reported by the New York Daily News, the Staten Island Republican will plead guilty to one count of tax evasion in federal court on Tuesday afternoon. Grimm, who was indicted in April on 20 counts of fraud and tax evasion stemming from a health food store he once owned, is apparently going to try to keep his seat in Congress. While he said during his re-election campaign that he would resign if “unable to serve,” initial reports indicate the Republican congressman does not think his conviction should keep him from serving his constituents in New York’s 13th District.

The news that Grimm was set to plead guilty sent shockwaves through the leadership of the Republican Party on Staten Island. The two-term congressman cruised to re-election in November despite the ethical allegations swirling around him, besting former City Council member Domenic Recchia by 12 points. Grimm had planned on regaining his Financial Services Committee membership, which he gave up under pressure when he was first indicted. Grimm has even been actively trying to hire staff members for his office in recent weeks after several former aides deserted him.

Reached by phone after news of the plea broke online, Guy Molinari, a longtime Island powerbroker and personal patron of Grimm’s, said he had not heard the news and declined to comment. The office of House Speaker John Boehner also declined to comment. John Antoniello, the chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, said he had not been informed either but that the party continues to support Grimm.

Meanwhile, politicos were already trying to figure out their next play. Some Staten Islanders predicted that Boehner would only try to oust Grimm if he thought that the seat was likely to stay in Republican hands—a good prospect, many analysts suggested, considering Grimm’s easy win the last time.

The name that most Republicans seem both to expect and dread to consider running is Vito Fossella. The former congressman, a longtime fixture in Staten Island politics, stepped down when it was revealed after a drunk-driving arrest that he had a second family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The Republican has frequently sparred with Grimm and thought about running in 2014, but it remains to be seen whether Fossella can withstand the scrutiny of another run, even in an era when scandal-scarred New York pols like Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer have come back to run again.

“Does he have the balls to run again after someone resigns over ethical issues?” asked one Staten Island Democrat.

Daniel Donovan, the well-regarded Staten Island district attorney who has come under criticism for failing to win an indictment in the Eric Garner case, is not widely thought to want to leave his post.

On the Democratic side, many expect former Rep. Mike McMahon to make another run at the seat. McMahon took over when Fossella resigned, but was edged aside two years later by Grimm in the Tea Party wave election year of 2010.

Neither McMahon nor Fossella returned calls for comment.

In the meantime, Grimm faces no legal pressure to leave office. There is no requirement for a member of Congress to resign after pleading guilty to a felony. However, House Rule XXIII suggests that a representative who has been convicted of an offense that may result in at least two years’ imprisonment should “refrain from voting.” A report by the Congressional Research Service notes that members are “expected to abide” by this rule, even though it is technically advisory. Tax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years, and thus it seems likely that Grimm would be covered by the provision. Tom Rust, a spokesman for the House Ethics Committee, declined to comment to The Daily Beast.

Grimm could be forced from office if he is expelled by a two-thirds vote of the House. The penalty is only rarely imposed, as members often resign before they can be voted out of Congress. Only two members of the House have been expelled since the Civil War, and no one has ever been expelled for a felony committed prior to serving in Congress. As the Congressional Research Service notes, an offense leading to expulsion “has historically involved either disloyalty to the United States or the violation of a criminal law involving the abuse of one’s official position, such as bribery.” Interestingly, if Grimm is expelled, he is not legally prohibited from running in the special election for his seat. And if he is re-elected, the House advisory rules prohibiting him from voting no longer apply.

Should Grimm choose to fight back under those circumstances, he would likely have an easy go of it on Staten Island, considering his clear win in November and the fact that he is pleading guilty to a lesser charge. “Voters knew about this and seemed not to care,” said Roy Moskowitz, a leading Democratic consultant on Staten Island.

Still, his conviction will restart a House Ethics Committee investigation into his actions. The bipartisan committee had originally started to probe Grimm in 2012 but had then deferred any action after a request by the Justice Department. Once Grimm has pleaded guilty, it is unlikely the Justice Department will have any qualms about the House Ethics Committee resuming its investigation. Further, the committee’s rules mandate that it “shall” begin an investigation as soon as a member of Congress is sentenced in federal court.

The conviction won’t be Grimm’s first brush with notoriety. The congressman has been investigated in the past for campaign-finance irregularities involving an Israeli businessman who allegedly illegally funneled money to Grimm’s campaign. He also sparked controversy earlier in 2014 when he threatened a reporter on live television after President Obama’s State of the Union address by saying, “I'll break you in half. Like a boy.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/22/the-felon-who-wouldn-t-leave-congress.html

Convicted felons can stay in office while others lose their right to vote?
WTF kind of system is that?

Perhaps the GOP could search their database for some former member being released from prison in the near future?

Remains to be seen what will happen if Grimm faces jail time [which he should] ~ Sooz

The Rachel Maddow Show 12/23/14
Decency not enough to force Grimm from office

Rachel Maddow reports on the scant history of members of Congress expelled from office as a result of a felony conviction, pointing out that in nearly all cases, the decency of the politician or the electorate prevent that situation from happening.


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/decency-not-enough-to-force-grimm-from-office-376622659696

This is part 1 ~ part 2 will be the day he's sentenced to prison ~ and part 3 will be the day he enters prison ~ ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

Michael Grimm reverses course, will resign from Congress
12/30/14 08:00 AM—Updated 12/30/14 08:31 AM
By Steve Benen

Rep. Michael Grimm’s (R-N.Y.) first major reversal came last week. After months in which the Republican congressman vowed to fight his 20-count criminal indictment, insisting throughout that he was the victim of a “political witch hunt,” Grimm changed his posture a week ago, pleading guilty to one felony count of tax fraud.

Asked whether he would resign, the New York lawmaker said last week, “Absolutely not.” Grimm argued that since his crime “happened before” he was elected to Congress, he didn’t see the need to step down.

All of which led to his second major reversal.


The details of the upcoming process have not yet been announced, but there will have to be a special election in Grimm’s competitive New York district. Look for both parties to take the race seriously.

The lawmaker’s shift came on the heels of Grimm’s speaking with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday. We don’t know exactly what was said, but it seems safe to assume the GOP leader told the New Yorker he would have no party support if he remained in Congress as a convicted felon.

As for Grimm himself, the Republican congressman departs Capitol Hill after just four years on the job, but there’s no denying just how eventful his brief tenure has been. Let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane.

For example, there was the incident in which Grimm threatened physical violence against a reporter, vowing to break him “like a boy” after the journalist had the audacity to ask the lawmaker about the criminal investigations pending against him.

There was also the time Grimm crashed his own allies’ press conference about veterans’ care.

Arguably my personal favorite came in early 2011, when Grimm, who ran on a platform opposing the Affordable Care Act, was asked whether he would forgo the taxpayer-financed coverage he hoped to deny others. He responded, “What am I, not supposed to have health care? It’s practicality. I’m not going to become a burden for the state because I don’t have health care, and God forbid I get into an accident and I can’t afford the operation. That can happen to anyone.” Two weeks later, Grimm voted to repeal the ACA and deny coverage to millions.

Grimm’s resignation takes effect on Monday, Jan. 5.

[Video accessible via end link]

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/michael-grimm-reverses-course-will-resign-congress