", NBC 10 News Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. On Monday, U.S. District Judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in prison. He won landslide after landslide every two years since 1994 without facing a formidable opponent once in the Democratic primary, and certainly not in the general election. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. The congressman's wife, NBC10 news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, was not in the courtroom. Ive helped tens of millions of people, Fattah said. Fattah spent two decades in Congress before losing the primary this year. Richardson Dilworth, a professor of politics and the director of Drexels Center for Public Policy (and, yes, grandson of the former mayor), observed that Fattah has great name recognition in his district, andsaid hes not convinced his indictment is going hurt him much at the polls. Hes done lots of favors for lots of people, Dilworth said. 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. Chaka Fattah's net worth The case was then remanded for resentencing. The Court of Appeals remanded for a new trial as to certain bribery and money laundering counts, concluding that the jury had not been properly instructed regarding official acts in a bribery context. Meanwhile, Evans had $303,000 on hand and Muroff had $208,000. In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA list of Best Dressed Legislators, noting his "excellence in haberdashery.". He challenged the FBI's focus on his wife . This dominancehas allowed him to spend little on campaigning, save for his 2007 bid for mayor. With regard to the governments cross-appeal, the Court of Appeals reinstated certain counts that had been dismissed by the District Court post-trial. On August 9, 2018, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit overturned Fattahs bribery convictions. For 16 minutes, the 59-year-old describes each one in varying detail. "This is an extraordinarily difficult day for me and my family. State Rep. Brian Sims declared himself a challenger, then dropped out before filing day. Theyre both expected to start spending soon on television ads to increase name recognition in the district. Congressman Chaka Fattah's wife, NBC10 News Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah responds to allegations detailed in a Federal Indictment against her husband. Fattah's third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, is a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster. Legal Statement. All rights reserved. Theyre kind of dealing with the position, Fattah said. Fattahs criminal acts were part of a years-long scheme related to his unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Philadelphia. Chaka Fattah, former Pennsylvania congressman, gets 10 years in prison Chenault-Fattah, 57, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. 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. 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. So, how much is Chaka Fattah worth at the age of 66 years old? African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Chaka-Fattah-Jr-Fraud-Sentencing-Federal-Court-367332741.html, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chaka-fattah-former-pennsylvania-congressman-10-years-prison-corruption/, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Please enter valid email address to continue. Both bills died without any action being taken. Innocent until proven guilty has, predictably, become the congressmans mantra. The Pennsylvania Democrats son, Chaka Fattah Jr., is already in prison on bank and tax fraud charges. Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., was released from a federal lockup near Scranton last month to serve the rest of his sentence in either a halfway house or under house arrest in Philadelphia, the U.S. Bureau of Prisonshas confirmed. Former Congressman Chaka Fattah sentenced to 10 years in prison for Evans is the challenger who could do the most damage to Fattahs campaign for re-election. Renee Chenault-Fattah is working again but only on causes she's 3759) which proposed to have the U.S. Treasury conduct a one-year feasibility study of a 1 percent transaction fee imposed on transactions made at any financial institution. The reason we must take an educated guess? 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. Ex-Philadelphia congressman Chaka Fattah gets 10 years for corruption 3941-45 W. Netherfield Rd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129 | TREND images via Elfant Wissahickon Realtors. On February 23, 2010, Fattah reintroduced the bill as the "Debt Free America Act," (H.R. Fattah insists the Justice Department, though led by fellow Democrats, has been out to get him and his family for years. However, the law was riddled with loopholes, leaving convicted felons to collect taxpayer-funded pensions. Wisely, Chenault-Fattah, now 60, decided to stick to what she's known for, which is telling stories. He received an MA from The John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1984 and a Master of Governmental Administration (MGA) at the University of Pennsylvanias Fels Institute of State and Local Government in 1986. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But Fattah says hes also more committed now than he ever has been. Renee Chenault-Fattah. 1601, and again in 2007 with H.R. WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) Pennsylvania Rep. Chaka Fattah convicted in racketeering case Fattah and his wife used the $18,000 for a down payment on a Poconos vacation home. He says the work he wants to complete will take him another decade. [But] there are lots of people he hasnt done favors for, too. Chaka Fattah of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and fraud. They told authorities the money covered the friends purchase of a Porsche owned by Fattahs wife, but the Porsche never left their garage. The Republican party may have won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, but a seat was still found for a liberal named Chaka Fattah.The freshman Democratic congressman from Philadelphia is a lawmaker who has . or redistributed. "Asking for $18,000 which is a steal.". He even lobbied President Barack Obama on the friends behalf, to no avail. 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. Former Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., walks from the federal courthouse on Monday after his sentencing hearing in Philadelphia. Matt Rourke/AP A federal jury has sentenced former Rep. Chaka. Convicted Former Congressman Still Draws Estimated $1 Million Federal While you have done much good, you also engaged in grave and widespread criminal activity, Bartle said. 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. 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.". Fattah and several of his co-defendants, who include former campaign and congressional aides, obtained an illegal $1 million loan for him during the 2007 mayors race. They say Fattah and his allies ran not one, but several schemes, that misappropriated funds and helped him further his own political and financial interests. Who Is Chaka Fattah's Wife? The 22-year Congressman, indicted on federal corruption charges, grants a rare interview as he faces an unprecedented challenge. Still, as. Fattah has said he will appeal his conviction and sentence. In this May 7, 2015 photo, Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., speaks during a My Brother's Keeper town hall at the School of the Future in Philadelphia. And for a while, it looked as if it was just that. Weldon was investigated by the feds and never charged, but news of a probe may have cost him his seat. They include former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman, of Palm Springs, Florida, who had sought the ambassadorship. Co-ops have a broad base and connection to community in the Philadelphia area. Social Activism Brings a Name Change. Congressman William Gray decided to resign. Since 2011, it has assisted 4.5million students and their families. His political life. Fattahs third wife, Renee Chenault-Fattah, is a former Philadelphia television news broadcaster. 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Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr., 58, of Philadelphia; lobbyist Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida; Fattah's Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia; and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, New Jersey, were charged today in a 29-count indictment with participating in a 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "And when it's all said and done, I would like for the story to be, 'We miss you on TV. 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.' His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. (Of note: Fattah came in fourth in that race. When you get someone whos invested 10 or 20 years, and theyre in there and bringing resources back, it doesnt really make sense to get rid of them.. This dominance. 'I'm as innocent as you': Chaka Fattah on his re-election fight and the I kind of want to leave it there.". Muroff, the past president of CeaseFire PAwhos taken up gun violence prevention as one of his primary causes, said he wouldnt diminish the importance of a district being represented ona powerful committee with control over spending, but noted that hes the only challenger with experience as a senior level legislative staff member in the federal government. But the icing on this crooked cake is that Fattah is collecting a taxpayer-funded pension.