He can point to his early and loud supportof President Barack Obama. or redistributed. In 2005, Fattah opposed the War in Iraq and supported Congressman John Murtha's call for troop withdrawal. 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. Bartle noted that Fattah and his wife, a TV news anchor, made more than $500,000 in combined income, placing them in the top 1 percent of Americans. Fattah, 60, served 22 years in Congress before losing a Democratic primary in April. "Our family misses and loves him. He publicly supported the Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Act a bill that called for bringing the troops home within six months and transitioning the Iraqis to self-government. Chenault-Fattah on leave at NBC10, was mentioned in indictment We, journalists, typically know a little bit about alot of subjects. Congressional pensions are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). "My dad died from pancreatic cancer. In 1991, State Senator Fattah decided to run for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district in the special election that was held after Democratic U.S. So the feds say hesecured a $1 million loan from then-Sallie Mae CEO Al Lord a big no-no in campaign finance and then paid back $600,000 of itusing charitable and federal funds through his nonprofit the Educational Advancement Alliance. These are the people that have been voting for me and praying for me for all these years.. Is This Chaka Fattah's Last Stand? - Philadelphia Magazine Neither Fattahs attorney,Sam Silver, northe prison bureau would comment to local media on why Fattah was released early from lockup, but his release appears to have been the call of the Bureau of Prisons. He won the general election with 86% of the vote. Upstairs youll find three bedrooms and a full bath. Fattah also provided a copy of the title to the Porsche to the bank, the indictment says. Im going to win this election. Congressman Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, speaks to the center for American Progress in 2010. Chaka Fattah (1956- ) - BlackPast.org He defeated the incumbent 58%-42%. 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. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III told Fattah in January:You need to take this matter seriously and think long and hard about your priorities., The charges Fattah denies are what hesomehow calls a clarifying moment., 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. 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. In 2002, he introduced the "Student Bill of Rights", H.R. WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) Former Congressman Chaka Fattah sentenced to 10 years in prison for On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of the conviction. In the 2016 election, Fattah was ousted in the Democratic primarythe real contest in his heavily Democratic, black-majority districtto state representative Dwight Evans. The conference was designed to encourage minority students interest in STEM graduate and professional schools. This is my tuition and tax credit program this has helped millions of families. 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. The program offers Philadelphians the chance to exchange firearms for vouchers for groceries or other goods. Tom Wolf and Mayor Jim Kenney, the latter ofwhom praised Evans for being someone who has built relationships and is not a divisive figure.. Theyre both expected to start spending soon on television ads to increase name recognition in the district. Do you find this information helpful? The four others convicted at trial will be sentenced later this week. Fattah used the money to pay personal expenses, including his taxes. Now all of a sudden he wants to run for mayor and he shows up dispensing checks. 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. The Justice Department wanted Fattah incarcerated for 17 to 21 years. 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/. By Fattahs own assessment, he could soonhold the purse strings of a nation in his hands. The long-running criminal scheme was related to paying back a loan from Fattahs unsuccessful run for Philadelphia mayor in 2007. He is from . All rights reserved. ", She added, "This is a disease that has no effective treatment and no cure.". She was cited in the case over the sham sale of her Porsche,. Fattah was once a shoo-in for his seat representing the second congressional district, one of the poorest in the nation and the only district in Pennsylvania with a majority black residency. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) 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. Congressman William Gray decided to resign. Credit NBC10. And for a while, it looked as if it was just that. Since 2011, it has assisted 4.5million students and their families. Their older daughter, Cameron, is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. After that, he was re-elected every two years with at least 86% of the vote. A solarium with its own fireplace off the living room and a library paneled in knotty pine with built-in bookshelves are other distinctive elements. A jury has decided that based on the evidence presented to them that I am guilty of charges presented by the government. Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2016. 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. This was my first big success in Congress.. 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. (Instead of a paywall). 2451. He added: I dont think that not having somebody on the appropriations committee disenfranchises the city.. ", NBC 10 News Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. He talks about how former Mayor Michael Nutter spent about a third of whatbusinessman Tom Knox did in the 2007 mayoral race. Theres no better time to kick a candidate than when hes down. He touted the possibility that such a system would bring in so much money it would allow for greatly increased federal spending, saying the "excess funds" would "provide universal health care, support an equitable public school finance system, and fund economic development in urban and rural areas," in addition to extinguishing the national debt and eliminating all other federal taxes. While it was one the harshest sentences ever handed out to a one-time member of Congress, federal prosecutors had asked for a longer term behind bars. The Congressman has an older son, Chaka Fattah, Jr., also a politician, who was convicted of felony bank and tax fraud in February 2016. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Social Activism Brings a Name Change. 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. After Fattah rattles off his accomplishments, he draws comparisons to others he says were unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat who served 20 years in Congress, was convicted in 2016 ofmisusing more than $600,000 in federal grants and charitable funds and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. His father said hes spoken to his son, who is looking forward to appealing his own federal case. Theyre both expected to start spending soon on television ads to increase name recognition in the district. Two of Fattah's political consultants and accomplices pleaded guilty and testified against him. Updated at 3:25 p.m. On November 5, 1991, City Councilman Lucien Edward Blackwell won the election with a plurality of 39% of the vote defeating Fattah (28%), John F. White (28%), and Nadine Smith-Bulford (5%). You abused your trust, time and time again.. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. The Pennsylvania Democrats son, Chaka Fattah Jr., is already in prison on bank and tax fraud charges. Meanwhile, Fattah has taken heat from the judge in the case for publicly claiming hes more focused on winning re-election than he is in defending himself. Fattah supporters have raised questions about whether he received a fair trial, noting that one of the jurors was dismissed from the case. Chenault-Fattah, 57, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. According to local lore, this cottage once served as a way station for hunters. Chaka Fattah indicted in racketeering scheme | CNN Politics U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle called the Philadelphia Democrats crimes astonishing given that he and his wife had an annual income that put them at or near the top 1 percent.. The cottage has a high-ceilinged living room with fireplace and a sleeping loft. Convicted Former Congressman Still Draws Estimated $1 Million Federal Ambition Is an Asset. Fattah says he can get by largely on the fact that his name has been on the ballot for two decades. Former Rep. Chaka Fattah Sentenced To 10 Years For 'White-Collar - NPR Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. The conference brought together national leaders in cooperative development to share best practices to create powerful change for their organizations. It's the former home of Congressman Chaka Fattah and his wife Renee Chenault-Fattah, a. The Associated Press contributed to this report. On July 12, 2019, a Philadelphia judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in federal prison for public corruption. From 1995 to 2016, Fattah served as the U.S. Representative from Pennsylvanias 2nd Congressional District. He also wrote the legislation for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). And then Im going to continue my work in the Congress, he said. He's currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Rep. Chaka Fattah was indicted Wednesday on racketeering charges tied to a host of public corruption schemes, the Department of Justice said. Fattah grew up in Philadelphia, attending Overbrook High School and the Community College of Philadelphia. 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. Fattah attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia and graduated with his BA from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business in 1978. makes sure to note, too, that Sims raised $230,000 to challenge him for Congressthis year and didnt make it to filing day. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. He says hes spent more than $300,000 paying for his legal defense. In December 2011, Fattah through his role on the Appropriations Committee, directed the OSTP to establish an Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience (IWGN). The congressman's wife, NBC10 news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, was not in the courtroom. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Innocent until proven guilty has, predictably, become the congressmans mantra. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. Or rather, Chaka and Renee. Chaka Chip Fattah Jr., who never finished college, was convicted of using fraudulently obtained business loans to fund his jet-set lifestyle. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. As of September 5, 2010, none of the House committees have scheduled any action on the latest bill. Chenault-Fattah, who is also a lawyer, spent 25 years with WCAU-TV before she resigned after the indictment named her a participant in the bribery scheme. (The government thereafter announced its intention not to retry those counts.) Former Pa. Congressman Chaka Fattah Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison 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. "And that's something that a large segment of the population is not aware of. Now I know its actually people in the barbershops and the beauty salons. While a court of appeals in 2018 threw out some of the bribery from Fattahs conviction, a judge last year kept his 10-year sentence intact. He won a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he was able to steer millions of dollars in earmarks back home. NBC10's Deanna Durante explains how. Fattah has introduced a few bills targeting the equity of resource allocation within and between school districts. Fattah is also the creator of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). He represented the 2nd Congressional District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1994 to 2016. He was never challenged in the Democratic primary until 2016, when he lost to Dwight E. Evans. By misusing campaign funds, misappropriating government funds, accepting bribes, and committing bank fraud, as alleged in the Indictment, Congressman Fattah and his co-conspirators have betrayed the public trust and undermined faith in government.. The bill died without attracting any co-sponsor. Among the charges: Mail fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, bribery and racketeering, which is essentially using a legit organization for illegal purposes. He even brought up that, earlier this month, charges were dropped against five Brooklyn teenagers accused of gang-raping a woman at a playground. They have two school-age children. He is stepfather to her daughter Cameron Chenault. Im as innocent as you are under our system, Fattah said.