NY Rep. Grimm Expected to Plead Guilty to Felony Tax Charge: Sources
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US Congress(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Michael Grimm is expected to plead guilty to a felony tax charge on Tuesday, federal officials told ABC News.
Grimm, R-N.Y., is alleged to have solicited and accepted prohibited campaign contributions, caused false information to be included in campaign finance reports and allegedly made a deal with a foreign national to collect campaign contributions in exchange for help getting a green card.
Grimm’s spokesman and chief of staff did not immediately return requests for comment. The FBI’s New York office also refused to comment.
ABC News has learned a plea hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET in a Brooklyn court. Judge Pamela K. Chen will preside over the hearing.
Last month, the House Ethics Committee again deferred consideration of Grimm’s alleged violations of campaign finance law to the Department of Justice.
Plea negotiations had dragged on after feds rejected Grimm’s original offer to plead guilty to perjury and obstruction charges in a civil case. He also faces charges of mail fraud. Sources indicated the case against Grimm was “solid but “not good for the bureau” given Grimm’s history as a former FBI agent.
The two-term congressman became notorious after he threatened to throw NY1/Time Warner Cable News reporter Michael Scotto off the Cannon Rotunda balcony following the president’s State of the Union address in last January.
Members of Congress do not automatically forfeit their office upon conviction of a felony.
The office of House Speaker John Boehner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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