 |
| Congressman Michael K. Grimm (R-Staten Island) |
The most disturbing aspect of this story is not that Michael Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent parlayed his tough guy persona into a seat in Congress. It is that he was re-elected by the voters of Staten Island after he was indicted for tax fraud and showed himself to be a thug when he threatened to throw an inquiring reporter off the balcony of the Capitol rotunda and "break him like a boy". His non-apology was that he "got his Italian up" - slandering his own tribe to defend himself.
I wonder who will follow him. - gwc
Rep. Michael Grimm to Plead Guilty to Tax Charge - NYTimes.com
by William K. Rashbaum
Representative Michael G. Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island who was easily re-elected to his third term in Congress last month despite a pending federal indictment, has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony charge of tax fraud, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
A former Marine and agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who first ran for office as a law-and-order corruption fighter, Mr. Grimm, 44, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday for a plea hearing, according to the docket sheet in his case, which provides no further detail. His trial was scheduled to start Feb. 2.
A guilty plea by the congressman, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, would almost certainly put him under tremendous pressure to resign. One of his lawyers, Stuart N. Kaplan, said in an email that he could confirm only that there was “a change of plea hearing” scheduled for Tuesday.
Mr. Grimm was charged in a 20-count indictment in April after an investigation by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, the Internal Revenue Service and the F.B.I. focused on accusations of campaign finance fraud and other improprieties. The indictment charged him with underreporting wages and revenue while he ran a fast-food restaurant called Healthalicious on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He ran the business after the F.B.I. and before serving in Congress.
Mr. Grimm is expected to plead guilty to a single count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false or fraudulent tax return, said one person with knowledge of the matter, who, like the two others, spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. If he does plead guilty, he will most likely face 24 to 30 months in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Pamela K. Chen of United States District Court. His lawyers can also seek a lesser sentence, including one with no jail time.
A guilty plea by the combative congressman, who in a televised encounter in the gallery of the Capitol rotunda this year threatened to throw a reporter off the balcony, would bring an end to the exhaustive four-year inquiry that Mr. Grimm has contended was rooted in politics and old grudges.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Michael Grimm Overcomes Democrats’ Campaign to Capture His Congressional SeatNOV. 4, 2014
Under Indictment, Grimm Fights to Keep His Congressional SeatOCT. 14, 2014
Staten Island Congressman Facing Trial Says Charges Are PoliticalOCT. 7, 2014
'via Blog this'
Mr. Grimm is expected to plead guilty to a single count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false or fraudulent tax return, said one person with knowledge of the matter, who, like the two others, spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. If he does plead guilty, he will most likely face 24 to 30 months in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Pamela K. Chen of United States District Court. His lawyers can also seek a lesser sentence, including one with no jail time.
A guilty plea by the combative congressman, who in a televised encounter in the gallery of the Capitol rotunda this year threatened to throw a reporter off the balcony, would bring an end to the exhaustive four-year inquiry that Mr. Grimm has contended was rooted in politics and old grudges.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Michael Grimm Overcomes Democrats’ Campaign to Capture His Congressional SeatNOV. 4, 2014
Under Indictment, Grimm Fights to Keep His Congressional SeatOCT. 14, 2014
Staten Island Congressman Facing Trial Says Charges Are PoliticalOCT. 7, 2014
'via Blog this'
No comments:
Post a Comment