Legal Statement. Fattah and his wife used the $18,000 for a down payment on a Poconos vacation home. 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. "Almost every chronic illness hits us harder," she said, referring to African Americans. Anecdotally, from what Ive seen, I wouldnt count him as the most popular of Philadelphia politicians., Retired Councilwoman Marian Tasco didnt mince words in 2006 when Fattah was in the process of running for mayor. In the late 1990s she broadcast segments on her own pregnancy, which was achieved through anonymous artificial insemination. Fattah was the lead Democrat responsible for the funding of the United States Department of Justice and the United States Attorney General. On August 9, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia overturned Fattah's bribery convictions. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Chaka Fattah of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and fraud. The conference brought together national leaders in cooperative development to share best practices to create powerful change for their organizations. 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. 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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. His parents divorced, and his mother married David Fattah, changed her name to Falaka Fattah, and changed her sons name as well. The Justice Department wanted Fattah incarcerated for 17 to 21 years. Congressman Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, speaks to the center for American Progress in 2010. This search result is here to prevent scraping, 3941-45 W. Netherfield Rd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129, Just Listed: Wash West Trinity Condo for Sale, On the Market: Quakertown Contemporary Manor House for Sale, On the Market: Ottsville Farmhouse for Sale with Organic Farm, The 50 Hottest Philadelphia Neighborhoods and Nearby Towns, Just Listed: Rittenhouse Square Full-Floor Duplex Condo for Sale. Fattah grew up in Philadelphia, attending Overbrook High School and the Community College of Philadelphia. Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr., who never finished college, was convicted of using fraudulently obtained business loans to fund his jet-set lifestyle. Fattah says he can get by largely on the fact that his name has been on the ballot for two decades. 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. 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. After that, he was re-elected every two years with at least 86% of the vote. He reported for prison at Federal Correctional Institution, McKean near Lewis Run, Pennsylvania on January 25, 2017. Each touts something Fattah did while in the United States Congress representing Philadelphia. Prosecutors say Fattah tried to conceal an $18,000 bribe from Vederman by pretending he sold a Porsche to the man. While you have done much good, you also engaged in grave and widespread criminal activity, Bartle said. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia remanded for new sentencing and Fattah was again sentenced to 10 years on July 12, 2019. He brings up that former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush spent $136 million compared to Donald Trumps $11 million. 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. From the outside, things seem painfulfor Fattahs family. The latest bill places more focus on eliminating the federal debt. 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). The four others convicted at trial will be sentenced later this week. The legislation provides a 50% tax credit to donors who contribute to qualifying scholarship trusts that are recognized and registered with the Secretary of the Treasury. It was recently announced that his wife who was not charged was no longer at NBC 10 after a six-month period on leave from the station, and Fattah Jr. is in a jail cell. Fattah's 10-year-prison sentence falls below the federal advisory guidelines, a range that Bartle said ran 15 years and eight months to 19 years and seven months. "Our family misses and loves him. After Fattah rattles off his accomplishments, he draws comparisons to others he says were unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Ive helped tens of millions of people, Fattah said. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. 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. Fattah was challenged by Republican nominee Robert Allen Mansfield, Jr. and Independent candidate and publisher of the Germantown Newspapers, Jim Foster. With regard to the governments cross-appeal, the Court of Appeals reinstated certain counts that had been dismissed by the District Court post-trial. Twenty-twoarticles and press releases are strewn across a dark wood table in the board room of Congressman Chaka Fattahs West Philly office. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. 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. The jury in his case found the congressman took an illegal $1 million loan to prop up a failed 2007 run for Philadelphia mayor. 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. 3941-45 W. Netherfield Rd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129 | TREND images via Elfant Wissahickon Realtors. In 2005, Fattah opposed the War in Iraq and supported Congressman John Murtha's call for troop withdrawal. ButFattah says he wont dignify the charges by getting into the nitty-gritty. He brings up that former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush spent $136 million compared to Donald Trumps $11 million. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Two days later, according to the indictment, the Fattahs had their mortgage for the Poconos property approved. However, the law was riddled with loopholes, leaving convicted felons to collect taxpayer-funded pensions. A source speculated to The Philadelphia Inquirer that the decision could be tied to coronavirus concerns. 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. Current law requires that schools within the same district provide comparable educational services; this bill would extend that basic protection to the State level by requiring comparability across school districts. Fattah represented the 2nd district in Pennsylvania, an overwhelmingly Democratic district, in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2016. His son, Chaka Fattah, Jr., is in federal prison after being convicted on charges he funneled government money to himself and defrauded others to pad a luxurious lifestyle. Though the house dates only to 1930, theres some history behind this plot: the estate was once part of a much larger 10-acre one dating to the 1700s that stretched from School House Lane all the way to Coulter Street. To cement the transaction, Fattah provided a bank a copy of a bill of sale for the vehicle, the indictment says, which Chenault-Fattah had signed as the seller. He won the general election with 86% of the vote. So it was interesting to hear Chenault-Fattah spout facts and figures about Alzheimer's, which impacts about 5.7 million Americans. Or rather, Chaka and Renee. Market data provided by Factset. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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.' 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 legislation will provide means to catalyze cooperative development, provide tools to entrepreneurs to bring cooperative to their communities, partner with financial institutions to provide grants a loans to developing businesses, offer technical training and professional development. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Fattahs wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, was implicated in the indictment against the congressman and nolonger sits at the anchor deskat NBC 10 where she worked for nearly 25years. / CBS/AP. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. 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.. We, journalists, typically know a little bit about alot of subjects. The indictment says Chenault-Fattah e-mailed Vederman in January 2012 about purchasing her car. He even lobbied President Barack Obama on the friends behalf, to no avail. She is on leave from her anchor job. She was cited in the case over the sham sale of her Porsche,. 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. PHILADELPHIA A federal judge has sentenced Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah to 10 years behind bars on charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering. Fattah received an F rating from the National Rifle Association and an A+ rating from the Coalition on Gun Violence and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for his positions on gun control. Fattah and the other co-conspirators submitted false billing statements to his mayoral campaign in order to keep the loan secret. 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. [Hes]got an incredible social network. . 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. He can point to his early and loud supportof President Barack Obama. "This is an extraordinarily difficult day for me and my family. The nonprofit efforts including a NASA-funded mobile science classroom emblazoned with Fattahs name that roamed Philadelphia during the mayoral campaign helped promote Fattahs political career, prosecutors said in their sentencing memo. Ambition Is an Asset. has allowed him to spend little on campaigning. However,he was once the top Democrat on the group that handles cash flow to Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. He says hes spent more than $300,000 paying for his legal defense. Both the main home and the carriage house have central air, and there are two garages on the property as well. All the while he did it with his own little West Philadelphia political machine, with the support ofpeople like Hughes and Councilwoman Cindy Bass. Ive won dozens and dozens of elections. ", She added, "This is a disease that has no effective treatment and no cure.". Since 2011, it has assisted 4.5million students and their families. 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. People got to be real careful about taking out a guy like that, State Sen. Vincent Hughes, a longtime Fattah supporter, said last June. The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity, U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia Zane Memeger said when charges were filed. Fattah has introduced a few bills targeting the equity of resource allocation within and between school districts. He announced his immediate resignation from Congress two days later, on June 23. All rights reserved. Some of the major players in the city leadership maybe are not embracing me because allegations have been made about me, Fattah said. On June 21, 2016, Fattah was convicted of all charges, including racketeering conspiracy, bribery, bank fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a financial institution, and falsification of records. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 64 years old? This dominance. Weldon was investigated by the feds and never charged, but news of a probe may have cost him his seat. Congressman Chaka Fattah's wife, NBC10 News Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah responds to allegations detailed in a Federal Indictment against her husband. 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. Still, as. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman,. Fattah was the recipient of numerous honors and awards including 10 honorary doctorates and the University of Pennsylvanias Fels Institute of Government Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A lawyer before she became a journalist, Chenault-Fattah is said to earn a substantial salary from NBC10. Chenault-Fattah, 57, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He then repaid some of it with federal grant money from NASA that he had steered to an education nonprofit run by loyal former staffers. Following this conference, his mother decided to change his name to Chaka Fattah, to acknowledge their African ethnicity. 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. Upstairs youll find three bedrooms and a full bath. How are they doing? Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and stay in the know, Fattahwasnt known as the type of person who would frequentlyhelp other politicos around town raise money. Even though she's been off the air for almost three years, people still recognize Chenault-Fattah when she's out and about and question her about when she'll be back on air. In 2013, Fattah served as a vice chair on the House Gun and Violence Taskforce, a taskforce created under the direction of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. 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. 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. Theyre from the White House. Fattah compared himself to Rep. Joseph McDade, D-Pa., and Rep. Floyd Flake, D-N.Y., two former congressman charged in the 90s with corruption who were both later acquitted. And I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that," she told me. Chaka Fattah is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In May 2013, Fattah introduced the Creating Jobs through Cooperatives Act (HR 2437). 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. During his sentencing in 2016, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle called the Philadelphia-area lawmaker's crimes "astonishing" given that he and his TV anchor wife had a $500,000 annual income that put them at or near the "top 1 percent.". Please enter valid email address to continue. Chaka Fattah Jr., Frances Fattah, Chandler Faith Fattah, Cameron Chenault. Committed to fair housing. Former state Rep. Dwight Evans, a fellow Democrat, now holds his seat. He says at least 25 million people have been impacted by his programs (there are 715,000 people in hisdistrict, 1.5 million in Philadelphiaand 12.8 million in the state), and that there isnt a single person in the citywho has not been touched in some significant, positive way by something he put in place. The reason we must take an educated guess? Thats an area where Evans whos successfully stumped for other candidates across the state has him beat. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension. For 16 minutes, the 59-year-old describes each one in varying detail. They have two school-age children. He even brought up that, earlier this month, charges were dropped against five Brooklyn teenagers accused of gang-raping a woman at a playground. 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.. His wife is Renee Chenault-Fattah (m. 2001) Chaka Fattah Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 2. 4646) which proposed to repeal the federal income tax and replace it with a 1 percent "transaction tax" on every financial transaction whether paid by cash, credit card or any form of financial transfer, the only exception being transactions involving the purchase or sale of stock. At 66 years old, Chaka Fattah height not available right now. On Monday, U.S. District Judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in prison. Committed to youth mentorship. Hes done lots of favors for lots of people, Dilworth said. Voting ina new congressman would be, in his words, a Chip Kelly trade something that, roughly speaking, changes the team but for the worse. In December 2011, Fattah through his role on the Appropriations Committee, directed the OSTP to establish an Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience (IWGN). He is from . Fattah and his wife, Renee Chenault Fattah, also allegedly used bribery proceeds to "close on a vacation home" in the Poconos by falsely disguising an . Im going to win this election. Tom Wolf and Mayor Jim Kenney, the latter ofwhom praised Evans for being someone who has built relationships and is not a divisive figure.. 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. In 2002, he introduced the "Student Bill of Rights", H.R. He doesnt have any relationships, she told The Inquirer at the time. WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) Philadelphia news outlets have filed a motion to unseal court documents related to that dismissal. In Fattahs eyes, this people being wrongly accused happens all the time. According to local lore, this cottage once served as a way station for hunters. Fattah insists the Justice Department, though led by fellow Democrats, has been out to get him and his family for years. 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. (Instead of a paywall). 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. 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. He was never challenged in the Democratic primary until 2016, when he lost to Dwight E. Evans. His father said hes spoken to his son, who is looking forward to appealing his own federal case. On July 29, 2015, Fattah and four of his associates, Bonnie Bowser, Karen Nicholas, Herbert Verderman and Robert Brand were indicted for their alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests of the defendants and others by, among other tactics, misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds. State Rep. Brian Sims declared himself a challenger, then dropped out before filing day. Co-ops have a broad base and connection to community in the Philadelphia area. Ive helped tens of millions of people, Fattah said. Now all of a sudden he wants to run for mayor and he shows up dispensing checks. 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. You abused your trust, time and time again.. Evans is the challenger who could do the most damage to Fattahs campaign for re-election. Fattah has 22 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and another 12 in public service to rattle off when anyone asks why hes running for re-election to represent the second congressional district for a 12th term. Updated at 3:25 p.m. Despite apparently selling the car to Vederman in January, the indictment says, Chenault-Fattah in May renewed the car's registration in her name, had the vehicle serviced in Conshohocken in June, and adjusted the car's insurance for the winter in November. The Congressman has an older son, Chaka Fattah, Jr., also a politician, who was convicted of felony bank and tax fraud in February 2016. But he was charged in 2015, and then convicted on all counts the following year. 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. In the 2014 election, Fattah received 181,141 votes, or 87.7% of the vote, to 25,397, or 12.3%, to his Republican opponent, Armond James, a school teacher with no prior political experience. Chaka Fattah was born Arthur Davenport on November 21, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Arthur Davenport and Frances Brown. 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. Its very hard he said. 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. ( Photo via Facebook ), California residents do not sell my data request. But Fattah says hes also more committed now than he ever has been. save for his 2007 bid for mayor. NBC10's Deanna Durante explains how. Fattah won his first election in 1982 by 58 votes , defeating a party-favored incumbent for the 192nd house seat in the Pennsylvania . 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. Im going to get these allegations behind me. Earlier this year, Fattah, 60, was convicted of misspending government grants and charity money to fund his campaign and personal expenses, even as he and his TV anchor wife earned more than $500,000 a year. The biggest deal is: What did you do?, Nice to see you. He resigned from Congress two days later. "People will say, 'We miss seeing you on TV and it's such a shame what happened to your husband and your family," Chenault-Fattah said. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The latest property being unloaded in the Disgraced Pol Hit Parade went on the market last Tuesday. Fattah, who earned $174,000 as a congressman,. 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. In 2012, Fattah negotiated a partnership between FIRST and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to provide robotics programs to 4 million youth by 2015. "My dad died from pancreatic cancer. Market data provided by Factset. Theres no better time to kick a candidate than when hes down. So, how much is Chaka Fattah worth at the age of 66 years old? Fattah's wife, longtime Philadelphia news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah and their two daughters were not charged. In return, Fattah reportedly pushed for an ambassadorial position for Vederman or for appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission, including hand-delivering a letter to President Barack Obama on the issue. The younger Fattah is serving a five-year sentence. In May 1986, he received his master's degree in Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government. Fattah is also the creator of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). This is my tuition and tax credit program this has helped millions of families. He says hes just fine garnering the support. Theyre kind of dealing with the position, Fattah said. 1601, and again in 2007 with H.R. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. The sale price should just about cover the amount Chaka swiped from the government and nonprofit organizations to repay the illegal $1 million campaign loan that landed him in prison. On August 9, 2018, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit overturned Fattahs bribery convictions. His wife, Philadelphia TV news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, took a leave after her husband's indictment and then quit in February. Fattah also hired Vedermans girlfriend in his Capitol Hill office. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. And then Im going to continue my work in the Congress, he said. They include former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman, of Palm Springs, Florida, who had sought the ambassadorship. I kind of want to leave it there.". The program promotes college attendance among the nations most impoverished students. One man standing outside a barbershopon Lancaster Avenue put it this way: We keep supporting these people, keep electing them, but they always end up doing dumb shit.Many are concerned Fattah is just another in a long line of political figures exposed of beinginvolved in shady dealings. Democrat Rep. Dwight Evans now holds Fattah's seat in Congress. 1703, which attracted no cosponsors. 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. The elder Fattah, 59, faces his own corruption trial before Bartle on May 2. Advertisement The taskforce included both liberal and conservative Democrats, gun owners and Representatives from various cities. Chenault-Fattah started with NBC10 in 1991, according to her biography on the station's website. Fattah, who has so far largely escaped being attacked by challengers with regard to the litany of criminal charges and accusations against him, is harnessing the one thing that he has that Evans doesnt: 22 years in congress and a seat on the House Committee on Appropriations. Andthe Department of Justice contends its investigators werent unfairly targeting the congressman. Yet despite his safe congressional seat, Fattah always wanted to be a power player back home in Philadelphia, where he was born, and it was this desire that ultimately led to his downfall and federal conviction. His political life. 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.. 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.