Feb 21, 2012
www.TheGrimmFiles.com
The more voters learn about Congressman Michael Grimm (NY-13) and his checkered past, the less there is to like. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching www.TheGrimmFiles.com to help his constituents keep track of all of Congressman Michael Grimm’s ongoing scandals. Multiple reports have detailed Congressman Grimm’s past: possibly illegal fundraising, complicated business dealings with a known felon, and a heated altercation in a night club that ended with Grimm waving his gun and “carrying on like a madman.”
“It’s getting hard to keep track of all the ongoing scandals for Congressman Michael Grimm, but one thing that’s clear is that the more voters learn, the less there is to like,” said Josh Schwerin, Northeast Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “From waving a gun around in a crowded nightclub to accepting envelopes full of cash and doing business with felons, the reports of Congressman Grimm’s activities are nothing short of shocking.”
Background
Grimm Accused of Illegal Fundraising Practices. In January 2012, the New York Times 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]
Grimm’s Sleazy Business Background. In February 2012, the New York Times uncovered Grimm’s questionable business dealings, which are at odds with his straight-laced public image. According to the report, these activities included: (1) entering into business with a convicted felon; (2) misrepresenting his employment at a Wall Street firm that had been repeatedly sanctioned for gouging customers; and (3) operating a restaurant that did not carry workers’ compensation insurance and was accused of cheating employees. [New York Times, 2/15/12]
Grimm Investigated for Nightclub Incident. Grimm admitted that he was investigated by the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility for an event in 1999 where witnesses reported Grimm waving around a gun in a nightclub and possibly misusing his authority as a federal agent. [The New Yorker, 5/02/11]
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