Feb 07, 2012
Mr. Speaker, Here Are the Details on Michael Grimm
Recently House Speaker John Boehner claimed he was “not familiar with the details” of a bombshell New York Times story about Congressman Michael Grimm's (NY-13) fundraising practices.
Mr. Speaker, here are the most important details about Congressman Grimm’s campaign finance schemes:
Grimm, together with a man under FBI investigation for embezzlement, raised more than $500,000 in tainted campaign cash by taking contributions in excess of federal limits, taking contributions from foreign nationals, setting up “straw donors,” and personally receiving envelopes filled with cash.
You can read the full New York Times front page story here.
“Hopefully Speaker Boehner can familiarize himself with Congressman Michael Grimm, the latest scandal-plagued Member of the House Republican caucus,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The silence from House Speaker John Boehner is deafening. All he would need to do is read the front page of the paper to learn about Grimm’s campaign finance schemes but maybe Speaker Boehner has too many scandals in his caucus to keep track.”
The Hill newspaper recently reported that “An increasing number of House Republicans are getting wrapped up in allegations of ethics violations ahead of the November elections.”
Background
Speaker Boehner claimed not to be familiar with the details of the allegations against Michael Grimm. Politico’s Jake Sherman reported, “"@speakerboehner: "im not familiar with the details" of the NYT story that alleges Michael Grimm broke campaign fundraising laws.” [Politico, 2/3/12]
“Boehner's office yesterday told the Advance the Speaker had no comment on the fundraising allegations.” [Staten Island Advance, 1/31/12]
Grimm Accused of Illegal Fundraising Practices. In January 2012, the New York Times front page story reported that Grimm had allegedly engaged in illegal fundraising practices during his 2010 campaign, including taking contributions in excess of federal limits, taking contributions from foreign nationals, and setting up “straw donors.” The charges stem from Grimm’s efforts to raise money from the followers of prominent Orthodox rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto – all with the assistance of Pinto aide Ofer Biton, who is now the target of a federal embezzlement investigation. The report was based on findings from more than 15 interviews with Pinto followers and close scrutinization of Grimm’s campaign finance records. [New York Times, 1/27/12]
Organized Crime Lawyers: Grimm Is In Trouble. In January 2012, two local attorneys with experience representing organized crime figures told the Advance that the allegations against Grimm are serious and that he could face a federal grand jury. “If the allegations are true, they are serious,” said attorney Joseph Sorrentino. "The reality is, they are crimes. If he took those types of donations, he could wind up in front of a federal grand jury.” “It looks like he has issues all over the place,” said defense attorney Patrick Parrotta. Both Parrotta and Sorrentino have previously represented organized crime figures in legal proceedings. [Staten Island Advance, 1/31/12]
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