On Monday, New York Representative Michael Grimm was indicted with 20 counts of federal charges in relation to a restaurant he formerly owned and operated in Manhattan. According to prosecutors, Grimm allegedly made over a million dollars in revenue disappear and had evaded the Internal Revenue Service.
Fox News said that in his arraignment in Brooklyn, the Republican congressman and former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent has pleaded not guilty on all charges. Grimm also is temporarily free on a $400,000 bond. He has been ordered to stay within the US and had his passport surrendered by May 11.
At a press conference regarding Grimm's arrest, US Attorney Loretta Lynch said, "Michael Grimm made the choice to go from upholding the law to breaking it. And in doing so, he turned his back on every oath he had ever taken."
Hours before the US Justice Department had revealed the details of the charges against him, Grimm had defended himself from them events which he had dubbed as "a political witchhunt." Grimm has also vowed to remain in his post and continue his reelection plans in the fall, and said that at least, he now know who his accusers are.
Fox News said that the highlight of the charges filed against Grimm was an simple scheme that would hide sales and wages. Prosecutors said one part of the scheme involved taking money from the cash register to pay off workers off the books.
On the other hand, the news outlet noted that the scheme appeared to have no link to Grimm's financing of his congressional campaign in 2010. This was initially thought to be the main focus of a long-running investigation by the FBI.
FBI Assistant Director George Venizelos said about Grimm's indictment, "He broke our credo. In this 20-count indictment, Representative Grimm honored a new motto: fraud, perjury and obstruction."
