New York Congressman facing mail, wire fraud

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., is facing a five-count indictment alleging mail fraud, wire fraud, aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal tax returns and other charges.

Since 2011, Grimm has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York’s 11th Congressional District, which includes the borough of Staten Island and parts of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. Grimm was arraigned Monday before United States Magistrate Judge James Orenstein at the U.S. Courthouse at 225 Cadman Plaza East in Brooklyn, New York.

The indictment was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Richard Weber, Chief, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

“In 2007, Michael Grimm, former Marine, former FBI agent, accountant, and attorney, was poised for success as a small business owner. Instead, as alleged, Grimm made the choice to go from upholding the law to breaking it. In so doing, he turned his back on every oath he had ever taken. Even after his return to public service, when called to account for his actions and questioned under oath Grimm went for the cover up and lied about his role in his own business,”  Lynch said in a statement. “The obligation to deal honestly and testify truthfully is shared by everyone in our society. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to enforce our laws across the board.”