The 22-year Congressman, indicted on federal corruption charges, grants a rare interview as he faces an unprecedented challenge. Richardson Dilworth, a professor of politics and the director of Drexels Center for Public Policy (and, yes, grandson of the former mayor), observed that Fattah has great name recognition in his district, andsaid hes not convinced his indictment is going hurt him much at the polls. The younger Fattah is serving a five-year sentence. He was ordered to report to prison by Jan. 25, 2017. He talks about how former Mayor Michael Nutter. The jury convicted him of leading a five-person racketeering enterprise that included the loyal aides and political consultants who did his bidding, comingling campaign, nonprofit and government funds and using them as directed for Fattahs personal and political needs. The conference was designed to encourage minority students interest in STEM graduate and professional schools. The indictment says Chenault-Fattah e-mailed Vederman in January 2012 about purchasing her car. People got to be real careful about taking out a guy like that, State Sen. Vincent Hughes, a longtime Fattah supporter, Congress works off seniority. Fattah ran for re-election to his seat in 2016, but he was defeated by Dwight Evans in the Democratic primary. Now I know its actually people in the barbershops and the beauty salons. Committed to funding neuroscience research. All rights reserved. Those in high places will certainly know what happens in this courtroom today, said U.S. District Judge Harvery Bartle, III, as he sentenced Fattah, according to WPVI, a Philadelphia TV station. In August 2014, Fattah's longtime aide and close confidant Gregory Naylor pled guilty to federal charges in a complex money laundering scheme used to hide an illegal million-dollar loan that a candidate, unnamed in that indictment, received for his failed mayoral campaign in 2007. Former Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah (Pa.) was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by a federal judge in Philadelphia. . Federal agents also saw the car in Fattah's garage in March 2014, the indictment says, more than two years after the transaction supposedly occurred. He talks about how former Mayor Michael Nutter spent about a third of whatbusinessman Tom Knox did in the 2007 mayoral race. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 21 November. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, If you know Chaka, he is the eternal optimist. With other women, he is the father of another daughter, Frances ("Fran"), and one son, Chaka Fattah Jr., known as "Chip", who was convicted of felony bank and tax fraud in February 2016. Just days later, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in McDonnell v. United States which altered the legal definition of bribery to exclude "pay for access." When you get someone whos invested 10 or 20 years, and theyre in there and bringing resources back, it doesnt really make sense to get rid of them.. In 2009, Fattah introduced a fourth bill to require having a study conducted, H.R. This is a story about my funding of the bridge over the Schuylkill, but its really symbolic of a host of efforts across the district. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Some of the earliest charges stem from Fattahs failed bid for Philadelphia mayor in 2007, when his early lead was dwindling just weeks before the primary and he was running low on cash. The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity, U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia Zane Memeger said when charges were filed. His bill calls for $25 million federal investment and technical assistance to cooperatives through a new National Cooperative Development Center. Chenault-Fattah on leave at NBC10, was mentioned in indictment They say Fattah and his allies ran not one, but several schemes, that misappropriated funds and helped him further his own political and financial interests. Both bills died without any action being taken. For someone so interested in advancing education for the disadvantaged, you had the temerity to steal from the Educational Advancement Alliance, a nonprofit supported by government funds, Bartle said. But a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in McDonnell v. United States a few days later changed the legal definition of bribery to exclude "pay for access and Fattah appealed his conviction, placing his sentencing on hold. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Fattah Estate Goes on the Market in East Falls for $995K Fattah, a Democrat formerly representing Pennsylvanias second congressional district, was found guilty in June 2016. When you get someone whos invested 10 or 20 years, and theyre in there and bringing resources back, it doesnt really make sense to get rid of them., The congressman has never won less than 85 percent of the vote in the general, and in 2000 he defeateda Libertarian by garnering an unheard-of 98 percent of the vote. Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., was released from a federal lockup near Scranton last month to serve the rest of his sentence in either a halfway house or under house arrest in Philadelphia, the U.S. Bureau of Prisonshas confirmed. Chaka Fattah | Encyclopedia.com First published on December 12, 2016 / 12:36 PM. ", She added, "This is a disease that has no effective treatment and no cure.". The credit is unique in that families under a set income without a tax liability are eligible for a tax rebate. Voters in Chinatown weigh in. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His parents divorced, and his mother married David Fattah, changed her name to Falaka Fattah, and changed her sons name as well. Fattah then repaid it with funds that included NASA grant money steered through an education nonprofit run by former staffers. ButFattah says he wont dignify the charges by getting into the nitty-gritty. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Committed to fair housing. In addition, Fattah received bribes from Herbert Vederman, a former deputy mayor of Philadelphia who served as an aide to his mayoral campaign. See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 2. Fattah attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia and graduated with his BA from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business in 1978. After Congress tightened ethics laws, convicted members of Congress were supposed to lose federal pensions. Theres no better time to kick a candidate than when hes down. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., walks after leaving the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 21. It's the former home of Congressman Chaka Fattah and his wife Renee Chenault-Fattah, a. Im going to win this election. The Philadelphia Democrat, who was first elected to . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In 2002, he introduced the "Student Bill of Rights", H.R. He had eight siblings and seven of them died from different forms of cancer". Ironically, Fattah says that one day he hopes his legacy in Philadelphia is not about his success at the polls or the elections hes won or even about his prominence in the Washington Democratic establishment, but rather, he says, about what hes done for his constituents and for the country. He then served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1982 to 1988 and the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1988 to 1994. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. She sat in the courtroom Monday typing on an iPad during the hearing. Fattah and the other co-conspirators submitted false billing statements to his mayoral campaign in order to keep the loan secret. Weldon was investigated by the feds and never charged, but news of a probe may have cost him his seat. I got to ask former WCAU-TV anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah anything I wanted about Alzheimer's disease. And Fattahs Twitter account shows that he launched a business while still serving his sentence, with his bio saying hes President/CEO of Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors - Catalysts in Uplifting Brain Research. . Outside of legislative work Fattah has created a few local education initiatives for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania families as a state legislator and in cooperation with state and municipal governments, including the CORE scholars program and the annual Grad Conference. Fattah, 60, served 22 years in Congress . So heres whatprosecutors say happened: Fattah and four of his close associates were indicted by federal prosecutors with the Department of Justice in July after they poked around in the congressmans finances for the better part of eight years. (Instead of a paywall). This is my tuition and tax credit program this has helped millions of families. Veteran Pa. congressman convicted in racketeering case Started in 1983 by Pennsylvanias Act 91 of 1983, it was only one of its kind until 2010 when Fattah added language to the Dodd Frank bill to provide similar assistance, to homeowners nationwide. Still, as. He was sentenced on Dec. 12, 2016 to 10 years in prison and he reported to Federal Correctional Institution, McKean on Jan. 25, 2017. But this time around, she intends to be an advocate forcauses about which she's passionate. The longtime northwest Philadelphia state politician has friends in both Philadelphia and state politics, including Tasco, who has a reputation for being able to whip up a significant amount of votes in her 50th ward. Im as innocent as you are under our system, Fattah said. Youre asking people to write a check in a situation where the press might say they wrote a check or question them writing a check.. We will update Chaka Fattah's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. They have two school-age children. Anchor Jim Rosenfield, speaking during Wednesday's 4 p.m. newscast, said Chenault-Fattah "is now on leave.". Fattah has also added a 1 percent tax credit designed to eliminate the impact of the measure on couples making less than $250,000 a year. On June 21, 2016, a federal jury convicted Fattah, 59, of bribery, mail fraud, and 27 other charges including misappropriating campaign, charity, and taxpayer money. Fattah represented the 2nd district in Pennsylvania, an overwhelmingly Democratic district, in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2016. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman, is married to longtime Philadelphia news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. He added: I dont think that not having somebody on the appropriations committee disenfranchises the city.. In May 1986, he received his master's degree in Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government. Fattah used the money to pay personal expenses, including his taxes. Wheres he been?, Love Philly? Both the main home and the carriage house have central air, and there are two garages on the property as well. The Republican party may have won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, but a seat was still found for a liberal named Chaka Fattah.The freshman Democratic congressman from Philadelphia is a lawmaker who has . Strategistswidely believe he has the most name recognitionin the field (absent the incumbent), as well as the most cashand a handful of top Philadelphia and state politicians standing behind him who are willing to throw in public support and money for ads. Fattah, who began his career in the Pennsylvania statehouse and entered Congress in 1995, lost the spring Democratic primary days before his trial began and resigned after his conviction in June. Its main floor features a living room and great room on either side of a central fireplace, a modern kitchen, a TV room with powder room and a laundry. Its very hard he said. Fattahs third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, is a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. These are the people that have been voting for me and praying for me for all these years.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Fattah's third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, is a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster. But she fought to keep the figure private during her husband's mayoral run in 2007, and his federal financial disclosure reports do not specify how much she earns. Updated: 12/12/2016 12:02 PM EST. "[That] has nothing to do with the fact that Ive been found on the wrong side of these questions by a jury.. Please enter valid email address to continue. And above all, he can say that theres essentially no chance someone who beats him in the election would, as a freshman congressman, earn a seat on appropriations. According to local lore, this cottage once served as a way station for hunters. Fattah's wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, was implicated in the indictment against the congressman and no longer sits at the anchor desk at NBC 10 where she worked for nearly 25 years. Congressman Chaka Fattah and Associates Charged with Participating in At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Rep. Chaka Fattah responds to corruption charges: "This is not Deflate-gate", NTSB to investigate in-flight turbulence that left 1 passenger dead, Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, convicted of misspending government grants and charity money to fund his campaign and personal expenses. He's currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman,. He received an MA from The John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1984 and a Master of Governmental Administration (MGA) at the University of Pennsylvanias Fels Institute of State and Local Government in 1986. Labeled as "Person E" throughout the 85-page indictment, Chenault-Fattah, one of the station's most visible personalities and anchor of the 4 and 6 p.m. broadcasts, is portrayed as a participant in a scheme to falsely report the sale of her 1989 Porsche Carrera convertible to a lobbyist for $18,000. Born in Philadelphia on November 21, 1956, Chaka Fattah grew up with political ideas and even developed his own political propaganda for other candidates at the age of 14. Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr., 58, of Philadelphia; lobbyist Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida; Fattah's Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia; and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, New Jersey, were charged today in a 29-count indictment with participating in a The prize? Despite the successes, the connections, the seniority and the support, hes a careerpolitician whos nearly out of campaign funds and who couldnt pay the lawyers defending him on charges of using public money and charity dollars to further his political career and line the pockets of hisassociates.