Judge Tosses 4 Of 22 Counts For Convicted Ex-Congressman
by Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — With his upcoming sentence still on hold, the judge who presided over disgraced former Congressman Chaka Fattah's corruption trial is throwing out a handful of a jury's guilty verdicts, but not the hefty racketeering count.
In his more-than-100-page opinion, Judge Harvey Bartle has cleared the convicted ex-congressman of four of 22 counts, following post-trial motions by his defense team.
But the judge left intact the most serious racketeering conspiracy count.
Chaka Fattah Found Guilty On All Charges In Federal Corruption Trial
During the trial, prosecutors outlined five alleged schemes involving bribes as well as misused federal grant money, charitable contributions, and campaign funds under Fattah's control. Fattah was convicted on all counts.
Judge Bartle rejected his defense lawyers' arguments that the convictions should be thrown out because of a Supreme Court decision days after the verdicts that had narrowed the legal definition of bribery.
Fattah lost his bid for a 12th term to Congress to State Representative Dwight Evans in an April Democratic primary, just weeks before his corruption trial started.
Following intense pressure, he resigned two days after his late June conviction.
