The Fattah campaign defended itself, claiming that it had followed less restrictive federal rules in spending the money, but eventually returned a portion of the excess contributions to the exploratory committee following a settlement with the city's Board of Ethics. 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 only poll conducted so far suggests Evans is in the lead, but theres a caveat: Evans, who didnt respond to a request for comment, paid for that poll. Theyre both expected to start spending soon on television ads to increase name recognition in the district. Chenault-Fattah is raising money on the Indiegogo crowd-funding website for a new documentary called In Search of Lost Time: Alzheimer's and Dementia's Impact on People of Color,that she's producing along with veteran filmmaker Bob Lott of Teamwork Productions. Chaka Fattah (Arthur Davenport) was born on 21 November, 1956 in Philadelphia, PA. Chaka Fattah is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. / CBS/AP. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of the conviction. In the 2011-12 election period, he spent $162,000 while the average winner of a House seat spent 10 times that, some $1.6 million. 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. While you have done much good, you also engaged in grave and widespread criminal activity, Bartle said. First published on December 12, 2016 / 12:36 PM. You abused your trust, time and time again.. Chenault-Fattah did let me know, though, that her marriage remains intact. ", She added, "This is a disease that has no effective treatment and no cure.". The latest bill places more focus on eliminating the federal debt. This dominance. The biggest deal is: What did you do?, Nice to see you. Fattah then repaid it with funds that included NASA grant money steered through an education nonprofit run by former staffers. Fattah and his wife used the $18,000 for a down payment on a Poconos vacation home. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) was convicted Tuesday on federal racketeering and bribery charges, putting an ignominious stamp on the career of one of the region's longest-serving members of Congress and all but ensuring that his public life will be capped with a prison sentence. 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. He says hes spent more than $300,000 paying for his legal defense. 1601, and again in 2007 with H.R. 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. Dem Rep. Chaka Fattah Gets 10 Years in Prison for Fraud - Breitbart 2130 which had a single cosponsor, Democratic Rep. Brian Baird of Washington. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. What hewilladmit: Raising cash for re-election while under the cloud of federal indictmenthas been a struggle. After that, he was re-elected every two years with at least 86% of the vote. Renee Chenault-Fattah is working again but only on causes she's He defeated the incumbent 58%-42%. But he was charged in 2015, and then convicted on all counts the following year. Renee Chenault-Fattah, wife of the indicted Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), was not charged by federal authorities Wednesday - but the longtime NBC10 anchor did not escape the U.S. attorney's charging document. Former Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah sentenced to 10 years in And then Im going to continue my work in the Congress, he said. A year earlier in 2015, Fattah was indicted on charges of bribery, money laundering, and bank and mail fraud, among other charges, making him vulnerable in the primary. Phillys hot podcast studio: How two longtime producers are growing the citys audio scene, Meet the 10 entrepreneurs vying set up shop inside Philly rec centers, Tax cuts, a new forensic lab, library service, hotspot help: Takeaways from Mayor Kenneys final city budget proposal, A real art project at Quinta Brunsons former school in West Philly mirrors the Abbott Elementary Mural Arts episode, Former Councilmember Bobby Henon sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for taking bribes, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The FBI spent years investigating Fattah, and it long looked as if he would escape federal indictment. Thats at least four more elections to win. Chenault-Fattah, 57, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. 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. But behind the confidence, the political experience and the public relations in those 22 articlesare29 federal counts of corruption the reason why Fattah is in the thick of his most contested congressional race since he first won the seat in 1994. He challenged the FBI's focus on his wife . Voters in Chinatown weigh in. He announced his immediate resignation from Congress two days later, on June 23. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Theyre both expected to start spending soon on television ads to increase name recognition in the district. So, how much is Chaka Fattah worth at the age of 66 years old? In 2007 Fattah launched an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Philadelphia. In 1994 Fattah was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after defeating incumbent Congressman Lucian Blackwell in the Democratic Primary for Pennsylvanias Second Congressional District. This is my tuition and tax credit program this has helped millions of families. Thats as he continues to collect his pension, as no member of Congress has ever been stripped of their pension. Committed to funding neuroscience research. Phillys mayoral candidates are tiptoeing onto TikTok. He also wrote the legislation for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). Co-ops have a broad base and connection to community in the Philadelphia area. Twenty-twoarticles and press releases are strewn across a dark wood table in the board room of Congressman Chaka Fattahs West Philly office. She was never charged and has denied wrongdoing. According to local lore, this cottage once served as a way station for hunters. Im as innocent as you are under our system, Fattah said. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah Sr., the Democrat who represents a district that includes parts of Philadelphia, was indicted on Wednesday over allegations of political corruption. "Whether it's diabetes, whether it's heart disease, strokes across the board.". And the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission show Fattah, who makes $174,000 a year in congressional salary, had less than $6,000 in his campaign coffers as of Dec. 31. In May 2013, Fattah introduced the Creating Jobs through Cooperatives Act (HR 2437). Congressman Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, speaks to the center for American Progress in 2010. Fattah is only 64 years old, so his estimated lifetime pension is $1 million. And I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that," she told me. "Our family misses and loves him. ButFattah says he wont dignify the charges by getting into the nitty-gritty. Hes a member of the Democratic political establishment in both Philadelphia and Washington, and predicts that if things go his way, hes next in line to take over as the Democratic chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in the House. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. The FBI further alleged that Fattah accepted an $18,000 bribe from a man seeking an ambassadorship. Chenault-Fattah is focusing her attention on Alzheimer's disease and the disproportionate way it affects people of color. 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. Suddenly, the popular broadcaster was a stay-at-home mom with a whole lot of time on her hands and a non-compete clause that sidelined her for a least a year. 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. Congressman Chaka Fattah, November 20, 2014. Bartle ordered Fattah to pay . Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 64 years old? Chenault-Fattah on leave at NBC10, was mentioned in indictment Fattah told Bartle that he had helped tens of millions of people during his time in office, despite the crimes hed been convicted of committing. Fattah and the other co-conspirators submitted false billing statements to his mayoral campaign in order to keep the loan secret. Do you find this information helpful? Legal Statement. (Of note: Fattah came in fourth in that race. (Instead of a paywall). After charges were filed against Fattah last summer, not everyone in West Philadelphia, an area that was once on lock for the former congressmans voters base, was on Fattahs side and praying for his re-election. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Fattah served on the Appropriations Committee and on several subcommittees. Ambition Is an Asset. 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. She sat in the courtroom Monday typing on an iPad during the hearing. makes sure to note, too, that Sims raised $230,000 to challenge him for Congressthis year and didnt make it to filing day. A subsequent Philadelphia Daily News investigation revealed that nonprofits receiving federal funding and connected to Fattah paid out over $5.8 million to Fattah allies and alleged that many of these payments were ethically dubious. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Chaka Fattahs income source is mostly from being a successful . The Emergency Homeowners Loan Program provides up to 24 months of assistance, through bridge loans, for distressed homeowners and is a scaled-up version of the HEMAP program. The couple, married in 2001, have one daughter, Chandler Fattah. Fattah eventually came in fourth in the Democratic primary, close behind fellow Congressman Bob Brady but well behind former city councilman Michael Nutter, who went on to win the fall general election handily. Its very hard he said. In this May 7, 2015 photo, Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., speaks during a My Brother's Keeper town hall at the School of the Future in Philadelphia. Its alleged that he misappropriated more funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns in order to pay off his sonsstudent loan debt by dispensing checks to a political consulting firm which then lessened his sons college debt burden. Chenault-Fattah, who used to anchor her station's 4 and 6 p.m. newscasts, went on a six-month leave that eventually became permanent. 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. A jury this year found that Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from a wealthy friend to prop up his failed 2007 campaign for Philadelphia mayor. Wheres he been?, Love Philly? The taskforce included both liberal and conservative Democrats, gun owners and Representatives from various cities. From 1995 to 2016, Fattah served as the U.S. Representative from Pennsylvanias 2nd Congressional District. He is from . Rep. Chaka Fattah was indicted Wednesday on racketeering charges tied to a host of public corruption schemes, the Department of Justice said. He's doing well. After Fattah rattles off his accomplishments, he draws comparisons to others he says were unfairly targeted by law enforcement. The jury in his case found the congressman took an illegal $1 million loan to prop up a failed 2007 run for Philadelphia mayor. In the middle of Kelly territory, this 1930 Cotswold-style home lets you live the life of grace. Chaka Fattah was born Arthur Davenport on November 21, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Arthur Davenport and Frances Brown. This was my first big success in Congress.. This is my effort to get rid of public housing high rises in Philadelphia. We have estimated He was ordered to report to prison by Jan. 25, 2017. President Obama has called for making the tax credit permanent. He represented the 2nd Congressional District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1994 to 2016. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Sometimes when youre flying on Air Force One and some corporate CEO is waiting to greet you and introduce you and this and that, but theyre really not talking to you. With regard to the governments cross-appeal, the Court of Appeals reinstated certain counts that had been dismissed by the District Court post-trial. However,he was once the top Democrat on the group that handles cash flow to Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. PHILADELPHIA A federal judge has sentenced Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah to 10 years behind bars on charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering. Their older daughter, Cameron, is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Experts seem to agree that prosecutors have their hands full trying to prove theircharges because of a long paper trail (900,000 pages of government evidence) that will have to be nailed down in court. For example, Fattah used $23,000 in nonprofit funds to repay his sons college loans and took an $18,000 bribe to try to help a friend become an ambassador. Former Rep. Chaka Fattah Sentenced To 10 Years For 'White-Collar - NPR Market data provided by Factset. I don't want to say anything about the case because it's being appealed. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! His parents divorced, and his mother married David Fattah, changed her name to Falaka Fattah, and changed her sons name as well. The Congressman has an older son, Chaka Fattah, Jr., also a politician, who was convicted of felony bank and tax fraud in February 2016. Now I know its actually people in the barbershops and the beauty salons. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman,. He doesnt have any relationships, she told The Inquirer at the time. Fattah also hired Vedermans girlfriend in his Capitol Hill office. Though Fattah was reportedlyunder investigation by the Department of Justice for eight years, it took charges on racketeering and bribery for challengers to come forward. He says the work he wants to complete will take him another decade. After 30 years of working first as a Wall Street lawyer and later a TV broadcaster, she had to figure out what her third act would be. However, the law was riddled with loopholes, leaving convicted felons to collect taxpayer-funded pensions. Fattah supporters have raised questions about whether he received a fair trial, noting that one of the jurors was dismissed from the case. Dianna Marder, Party Politics: Fattah, Chenault exchange vows with help from their children, the congressman and news anchor held a big church wedding,The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 8, 2001, Congressman Chaka Fattahs son taken off to serve years in prison for fraud,NBCPhiladelphia.com, February 2, 2016,https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Chaka-Fattah-Jr-Fraud-Sentencing-Federal-Court-367332741.html; Bill Clark, Chaka Fattah former Pennsylvania congressman gets 10 years in federal prison for corruption, CBSNews.com, December 12, 2016,https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chaka-fattah-former-pennsylvania-congressman-10-years-prison-corruption/. Politician. Chaka Fattah Jr. gets 5 years in prison, ordered to pay $1.1 million In 2004, Fattah introduced a bill titled the "Transform America Transaction Fee," (H.R. 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. In 1987, Fattah founded the Graduate Opportunity Initiative Conference, an annual three-day informational and scholarship conference which aims to significantly increase the enrollment of underrepresented graduate students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM fields). Veteran Pa. congressman convicted in racketeering case Now I know its actually people in the barbershops and the beauty salons. Please enter valid email address to continue. But their real-life fairy tale turned into a nightmare in 2015 after the feds indicted and later convicted Chaka Fattah of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and fraud. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. At 66 years old, Chaka Fattah height not available right now. Tom Wolf and Mayor Jim Kenney, the latter ofwhom praised Evans for being someone who has built relationships and is not a divisive figure.. Two older structures with a link to that past also sit on these grounds: a carriage house thought to date to the 1800s and a one-room cottage with sleeping loft believed to be the oldest structure on the property. Fattah also hired Vederman's girlfriend to his staff as the transactions were taking place, according to the indictment. 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. In 1994, Fattah decided to challenge Blackwell in the Democratic primary. Andthe Department of Justice contends its investigators werent unfairly targeting the congressman. 1703, which attracted no cosponsors. Property records indicate the house, near the Delaware River north of Milford, has about 2,800 square feet with three bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms, a fireplace, and a deck. We're sorry what happened to your family, but isn't it great that you went on to use your voice to do something which makes an impact around this issue of Alzheimer's.' On July 29, 2015, Fattah and a group of associates were indicted on federal charges related to their alleged roles in a racketeering and influence peddling conspiracy. But money more oftendoes. The reason we must take an educated guess? Each touts something Fattah did while in the United States Congress representing Philadelphia. He then served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1982 to 1988 and the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1988 to 1994. ", When I asked how he's faring in federal prison, she said, "Chaka's doing great. In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA list of Best Dressed Legislators, noting his "excellence in haberdashery.". 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. "And when it's all said and done, I would like for the story to be, 'We miss you on TV. Renee Chenault-Fattah, wife of the indicted Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), was not charged by federal authorities Wednesday - but the longtime NBC10 anchor did not escape the U.S. attorney's charging document. Theyre kind of dealing with the position, Fattah said. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Fattah has introduced a few bills targeting the equity of resource allocation within and between school districts. All Rights Reserved. They have one daughter, Chandler Fattah. Congressman Chaka Fattah and Associates Charged with Participating in He was convicted on 23 counts of racketeering, fraud, and other corruption charges on June 21, 2016, and resigned two days later. Local news should be free and accessible, which is why we ask readers like you to support our work rather than charging a fee to see it. Pennsylvania Center for the Book The measure calls for States to provide highly effective teachers, early childhood education, college prep curricula and equitable instructional resources to all students who attend public schools. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. If youve ever dreamed of living like a baron for less than a million bucks, nows your chance: the Fattahs loss is your gain. 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. He says hes just fine garnering the support of the full Democratic city committee and the endorsement of unions likethe Service Employees International Union and AFSCME district council 33. All rights reserved. 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. The feds also claim that in 2008, Fattah triedto secure an ambassadorship forlobbyist Herbert Vederman, one of the co-defendants. When former WCAU-TV co-anchor Renee Chenault wedded former Congressman Chaka Fattah in 2001, the Daily News proclaimed theirs the marriage of a century. Fattah was the lead Democrat responsible for the funding of the United States Department of Justice and the United States Attorney General. He had eight siblings and seven of them died from different forms of cancer". On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison and began serving his term at the Federal Correctional Institution, McKean, Pennsylvania on January 25, 2017.