Despite calls for his resignation, Grimm repeatedly said that he would not resign, and that he would continue campaigning for re-election. McGinley stated, "the government has pursued a politically driven vendetta against Congressman Grimm" and "when the dust settles, he will be vindicated." Grimm ran unopposed in the Republican primary for New York's 11th Congressional District. Throughout much of the case, Grimm's attorney, William McGinley, maintained that Grimm was innocent. Although campaign finance violations were not part of the indictment, Lynch said that the investigation was ongoing. Some of Pinto's followers admitted to illegally contributing tens of thousands of dollars to Grimm's campaign. Pinto, who was worth close to $21 million, had many followers who contributed heavily to Grimm's successful 2010 campaign. According to media accounts, the Grimm company running Healthalicious was closely tied to Israeli fundraiser Ofer Biton, who communicated with Grimm on behalf of Israeli rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto. The business was reportedly connected with his campaign as well. Grimm was charged with 20 crimes, including under-reporting income in order to avoid paying taxes, "conspiracy, obstruction, mail fraud, perjury and the unlawful employment of illegal immigrants." This was not the first time that Grimm had gotten into trouble for his restaurant, as Healthalicious was also charged $88,000 in January 2012 for allegedly not providing employees with workers' compensation insurance. Grimm had been under federal investigation for campaign finance violations, but Lynch's indictment focused instead on Grimm's restaurant business. Attorney Loretta Lynch was named to oversee the indictment. On April 28, 2014, Michael Grimm surrendered to the FBI, facing federal charges of tax fraud related to his restaurant, Healthalicious. in Congress Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed August 30, 2021ĭemocratic Super PAC House Majority PAC listed incumbent Michael Grimm as one of 10 they were targeting as vulnerable incumbent Republicans in 2014, with the focus on those holding competitive seats. Source: New York State Board of Elections, NYS Board of Elections Rep. House, New York District 11 General Election, 2014 Party
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