(African-American) Congressman Fattah Says He'll Fight New Subpoena

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Re: Congressman Fattah Says He'll Fight New Subpoena

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Congressman Fattah Asks House To Probe Prosecutor Misconduct
August 17, 2015 9:45 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Congressmen Chaka Fattah is asking a pair of House committees to investigate possible prosecutorial misconduct in a racketeering case brought against him last month.

Fattah sent a letter Monday asking the judiciary and oversight committees to preserve all material related to the case and to review it for “unconstitutional or unlawful behavior.”

The 11-term Philadelphia Democrat was indicted July 29 on charges including racketeering conspiracy, bribery and conspiracy to commit wire, honest services and mail fraud.

He’s accused of paying off an illegal $1 million campaign loan with federal grants and charitable donations, funneling campaign funds toward his son’s student loans and disguising a lobbyist’s bribe as payment for a Porsche his TV anchor wife never sold.

Fattah says lawmakers have been targeted by “unconstitutional and illegal investigations” for decades.

 

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Re: Congressman Fattah Says He'll Fight New Subpoena

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Congressman Chaka Fattah, Facing Racketeering Charges, Will Make First Court Appearance Today
August 18, 2015 5:42 AM
By Tim Jimenez

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah will be in court for the first time today as he faces racketeering charges.

Prosecutors allege Fattah participated in actions including bribery, bank fraud, and money laundering. In all, he faces 29 counts.

The 11-term congressman will be before a judge nearly three weeks after prosecutors announced the indictment.

Fattah maintains he did nothing wrong. He went on the offensive yesterday, questioning prosecutors’ motives and tactics in a five page letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

He’s calling on the Department of Justice to preserve all records so the Committee can investigate after the trial.

The charges against him were brought after a year-long federal investigation going back to Fattah’s failed run for Mayor of Philadelphia in 2007.

Prosecutors say he used charitable donations and federal grant cash to pay off an illegal million dollar campaign loan. They say he also used campaign cash for his son’s student loan debt.

Four associates of Fattah are also facing charges.

 

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Congressman Fattah Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Corruption/Racketeering Charges
August 18, 2015 12:00 PM
By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and conspiracy charges in his initial court appearance on Tuesday.

The congressman couldn’t wait for the reading of the charges. Just as the proceeding began, he told the judge, “I would like to say that I’m not guilty.” When asked for his plea a few minutes later, Fattah said, “Innocent. Not guilty.”

He was released without having to post the $100-thousand bail and sought to reassure his constituents.

“I’m going to never do anything that would embarrass them,” Fattah said. “I would not violate any law or regulation or rule, that I conduct myself at all times in appropriate ways and as it relates to these charges. I am innocent of each and every one of these allegations.”

Fattah is facing racketeering, conspiracy and other charges, for alleged misuse of funds from his campaign and non-profit. Fattah has accused prosecutors of improper conduct in pursuing the investigation. He took aim at them, especially for involving his son and wife.

“To take innocent people, to take people in my family and smear their good name, that says a lot about character ,” the congressman said. “So I think that’s the most unfortunate part of this entire process.”

Fattah vows to stay in office and run again next year.

 

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Re: Congressman Fattah Says He'll Fight New Subpoena

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Prosecutors Accuse Chaka Fattah of Trying to Influence Jurors
Updated at 12:13 AM EDT on Thursday, Aug 27, 2015

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah has tried to influence potential jurors in his racketeering case by publicly boasting about his accomplishments in Congress, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Department of Justice lawyers said in a motion filed Wednesday that Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, also has questioned their motives in prosecuting him. They cited what he has said to media outlets and in an online video since he was charged last month with racketeering conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and other crimes.

Fattah, in the video, touts his record securing millions of dollars in federal funding for issues such as education, job training and medical research.

"I have helped more young people in our city, region and country than anyone else that can be identified," Fattah says.

Prosecutors want a judge to block Fattah from making such arguments at trial.

"Fattah's work on these issues as a congressman is irrelevant to his guilt or innocence of the charges in the indictment," prosecutor Eric L. Gibson said.
Fattah is accused of using federal grants and charitable donations to repay a wealthy donor's illegal $1 million campaign loan and funneling campaign funds toward his son's student loan. He has denied any wrongdoing, emphatically telling a judge in his first court appearance on the charges: "I plead innocent — not guilty" and "I haven't committed any crime."

He called the motion filed by prosecutors on Wednesday "almost laughable."

"The Department of Justice didn't have any concerns about unduly influencing a jury when they were leaking information to the press during the eight-year investigation or when they held a nationally televised press conference on the indictment that they knew presented outright lies and half truths," he said in a statement.

Prosecutors say agents targeted Fattah for only two years.

Fattah has vowed to remain in office, run for a 12th term next year and remove "the cloud from my very good reputation." He has asked the House judiciary and oversight committees to preserve all material related to the case and to review it for "unconstitutional or unlawful behavior." He has said that lawmakers have been targeted by "unconstitutional and illegal investigations" for decades.

The indictment also charges four Fattah associates, including former staff members, with crimes and accuses his wife, NBC10 News anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, of being linked to an $18,000 sham sale of a luxury car.

Fattah's son awaits trial on an overlapping case that includes charges he misspent $930,000 in federal education funding. The son, Chaka Fattah Jr., has vowed to clear his name and called his arrest politically motivated.

Renee Chenault-Fattah is currently on leave from Channel 10.

 

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Fattah Hits Up Supporters For His Legal Defense Fund
September 10, 2015 12:08 PM
By David Madden

WASHINGTON D.C. (CBS) — Congressman Chaka Fattah is turning to his supporters to help him pay his legal bills as he battles federal corruption charges against him.

The 11 term Democrat is running for re-election next year. The website Fattah2016.com is soliciting funds not just for the campaign, but the court battle scheduled to crank up next spring in Philadelphia.

“I have said that I am innocent of each and every one of the allegations presented,” Fattah told KYW Newsradio, “and we are going to be involved in a costly litigation around these issues well into next year.”

That litigation, he estimates, could cost a million dollars assuming the case is tried as scheduled. He has already spent about 50 thousand on attorney fees related to the indictment.

Fattah’s son could only muster a few grand on-line to combat charges of tax and bank fraud. He’ll represent himself at trial set for next month. New Jersey Senator Robert "Pumpkinhead" Menendez, facing an unrelated corruption indictment, is conducting a similar online effort to raise money for his defense.

 

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Jury Selection Begins In Federal Fraud Trial Of Chaka Fattah Jr.
October 15, 2015 12:19 PM By Mike Dougherty

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Jury selection begins today in the trial of Chaka Fattah Junior. Prosecutors say he is a scam artist and tax cheat who has ripped off several investors and filed false tax returns in order to maintain a lavish lifestyle and pay gambling debts.

Despite the lack of formal legal training, Chaka Fattah Jr. is representing himself against seasoned federal prosecutors.

They will be selecting a panel of jurors out of a pool of 96 potential candidates for a trial that is expected to last a few weeks.

One of Fattah Junior’s alleged victims is the Philadelphia School District. Prosecutors say the 33-year-old entrepreneur inflated invoices through his company that provided educational services.

Fattah Junior is the son of congressman Chaka Fattah Sr. who is facing racketeering and corruption charges of his own.

The younger Fattah claims the federal case against him is simply an effort by the government to get to his father, and that he’s worked hard to build a successful business.

 

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Congressman Fattah Watches as Son Defends Self at Federal Fraud Trial
Published 2 hours ago

The son of a veteran Philadelphia congressman called the government's case flawed and speculative as he gave his opening statement at his federal bank and tax fraud trial on Friday.

Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr., 33, defended himself in court as his indicted father looked on, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The two men are charged in separate but overlapping cases investigated by the same FBI agents and prosecutors.

Chaka Fattah Jr. is accused of obtaining business loans and federal education contracts to support a lifestyle that included nice clothes, a pricey car and a luxury condominium. He calls himself a hard-working entrepreneur and said the government's case is based "entirely on speculation."

"I'm an entrepreneur," he said. "I took a camera and made it into $100,000. The government is criticizing me for trying to figure out how to make money. How to make a living. How to pay my rent."

Prosecutors described the younger Fattah as a scam artist, who launched a number of small businesses to secure financing at local banks. He spent the money, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Gray said, on flashy clothes, expensive bar tabs and luxury cars for himself — all the while neglecting to pay taxes on much of his income.

"This case is about lies, cheating and stealing by Chaka Fattah Jr.," Gray said.

His father, Democrat Chaka Fattah Sr., sat in the front row at the as the trial began. He's accused of misusing federal grants and charitable donations. The elder Fattah is married to new anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah who is currently on leave from NBC10.

Fattah has denied wrongdoing and told the newspaper Friday that he is proud of his son.

 

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Ex-Business Partner Testifies Philadelphia Congressman's Son Blew Loan Proceeds
Published 3 hours ago

The former business partner of a veteran Philadelphia congressman's son being tried for federal bank fraud testified the defendant blew money from business loans on luxury items.

"After a year, I realized I was deep in debt, and we weren't getting anywhere," the witness, Matthew Amato, said in his testimony Tuesday against Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr.

Fattah, who is defending himself , told The Philadelphia Inquirer after the testimony that Amato is "not being truthful. He's talking for the government up there."

But Amato told the jury that Fattah, 33, believed a person had to look successful to be successful. So rather than spending thousands of borrowed dollars on their business — which was the purpose of the loans — he and Fattah blew it on high-end electronics, a luxury car, and fancy parties catered by top restaurants, Amato testified.

Fattah is charged with obtaining business loans and federal education contracts to support that lifestyle, which also included a luxury condominium. In his opening statement last week, Fattah described himself as a hard-working entrepreneur targeted by government prosecutors relying "entirely on speculation."

Federal prosecutors, in contrast, say he scammed lending institutions by launching a number of small businesses that were used to secure financing at local banks.

Fattah and his father, Democrat U.S. Rep Chaka Fattah Sr., are charged in separate but overlapping cases investigated by the same FBI agents and prosecutors. The congressman has denied charges that he misused federal grants and charitable donations. He has yet to stand trial.

Testimony in Fattah Jr.'s trial was to continue Wednesday.

Fattah Sr. is married to news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah who is currently on leave from NBC10.