The Slatest

Longtime Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Convicted on Corruption Charges

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) at a news conference March 30, 2009.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Longtime Democratic congressman Chaka Fattah was convicted of racketeering, fraud, and money laundering by a federal jury Tuesday in relation to a million dollars in illegal campaign contributions to his failed 2007 Philadelphia mayoral bid. The Pennsylvania representative was convicted of all 23 charges he faced for illegally funneling proceeds from federal grants and other nonprofit funds through political consultants in order to pay back the unlawful loan.

Fattah has been in Congress since 1995 and held powerful committee appointments, but was unseated in the Democratic primary in April, making this his final term in office. Here’s more from the Associated Press on the web of illegality spun by Fattah and his family:

His wife, Philadelphia TV news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, took a leave after her husband’s indictment and then quit in February. She was cited in the case over the sham sale of her Porsche, which prosecutors said was a bribe. But she was never charged with any wronging, and she said the sale was legitimate. In a related case, his son, Chaka “Chip” Fattah Jr., was convicted on charges of bank and tax fraud and sentenced in February to five years in prison. A jury found he took part in a scheme as a subcontractor to defraud the Philadelphia school district. Justice Department lawyer Jonathan Kravis said in his closing argument that Chaka Fattah Sr. used federal grants and nonprofit funds to enrich his family and friends.

“Well, it’s a tough day, but I do want to thank the jurors for their service,” Fattah told reporters leaving the courthouse. Fattah remains free on bail and will be sentenced on Oct. 4.