U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah on Tuesday was found guilty of all the federal corruption charges he faced.
Fattah, a Democrat who has represented West Philadelphia since 1995, was found guilty of all counts including bribery, racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and bank fraud stemming from efforts to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan.
Chaka Fattah Sr convicted of all charges.
— U.S. Attorney EDPA (@USAO_EDPA) June 21, 2016
Fattah will remain out on bail ahead of his October sentencing. The trial began May 16 and jurors began deliberations late Wednesday afternoon.
Three codefendants, including his former chief of staff Bonnie Bowser, were also convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Fattah’s lawyers had argued that the schemes were done without his knowledge by two political consultants who had already pleaded guilty in the case. Any money he got from friends were gifts, not bribes, his lawyers said.
Prosecutors said Fattah used federal grant money and charitable donations through his consultants to pay back the illegal loan, which he took out during his failed 2007 mayoral bid.
Justice Department lawyer Jonathan Kravis also said in his closing argument that the money used by Fattah was used to “enrich” his friends and family.
“This has been an eight-year effort by some in the Department of Justice to link my public service career to some form of wrongdoing,” Fattah said in July after being indicted.
Fattah, who once served on the House Appropriations Committee, lost his seat in the April primary to state Rep. Dwight Evans.
His son, Chaka “Chip” Fattah, also has had his own fair share of legal trouble — in 2015 he was found guilty of 22 counts of defrauding a school district and sentenced to five years in prison.
