Just last week, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) refused to resign his seat in Congress after pleading guilty to tax fraud, telling reporters, “As I said before as long as I am able to serve I will serve.”
Apparently, he was only “able to serve” for two more weeks.
Following calls from his colleagues, including, reportedly, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), to step down, Grimm announced that he would resign effective Monday, January 5, 2015. The new Congress reports on the following day, Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Grimm was to serve in that Congress, having been re-elected to his seat last November, despite the then pending charges. There will be a special election to pick his replacement (noteworthy: the Staten Island representative is the only New York City Republican currently in Congress).
Grimm pleaded guilty to one felony count of tax fraud although, U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch advised that Grimm “signed a statement admitting to the conduct underlying every charge filed against him.” Those charges included hiring undocumented workers and paying them in cash. It also included causing “numerous false business and personal tax returns to be filed for several years” and lying “under oath to cover up his crimes.”
Grimm made the announcement late last night, saying:
After much thought and prayer, I have made the very difficult decision to step down from Congress. This decision is made with a heavy heart, as I have enjoyed a very special relationship and closeness with my constituents, whom I care about deeply.
The events which led to this day did not break my spirit, nor the will of the voters. However, I do not believe that I can continue to be 100 percent effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life.
The next chapter of his life likely involves jail time: Grimm is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, 2015. He faces a prison term of up to three years.
