Rep. Chaka Fattah Sr. was convicted Tuesday of all charges in a federal racketeering case in which prosecutors said he and associates used hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds to pay personal and political debts.
The verdict, announced Tuesday at the end of of a four-week trial in Philadelphia, marks a downward spiral for the longtime congressman.
An indictment was announced against Fattah and several associates in July. The Pennsylvania Democrat, who was first elected in 1995, later lost the April primary for his seat.
The criminal convictions handed down Tuesday include racketeering, fraud and money laundering.
“It’s a tough day,” Fattah told reporters after the verdict.
The congressman, whose term ends in December, remains free on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4.
The trial largely revolved around Fattah’s efforts to repay an illegal $1 million loan made to his failed 2007 mayoral campaign.
Prosecutors said Fattah used federal grant money and nonprofit funds to pay back the illegal loan and tried to cover up the scheme using sham contracts and accounting documents. His lawyers argued at trial that the rerouted funds were the work of two political consultants who pleaded guilty in the case and that Fattah had no knowledge of the schemes.
Lobbyist Herbert Vederman, Fattah’s Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, political consultant Robert Brand, and former Fattah aide Karen Nicholas were all charged in connection with the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that three other co-defendants were also found guilty. Prosecutors are expected to hold a press conference on the results of the trial Tuesday afternoon.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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