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Wednesday 22 June 2016

Fattah convicted of federal corruption charges

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) was convicted Tuesday on federal racketeering and bribery charges, putting an ignominious stamp on the career of one of the region's longest-serving members of Congress and all but ensuring that his public life will be capped with a prison sentence.

Yet Fattah, 59, offered no indication of whether he intended to resign.

"This is an extraordinarily difficult day for me and my family," he said in a statement. "While today's outcome isn't what we had hoped, I respect our nation's judicial system. I want to thank the people of the Second Congressional District for the honor of serving them."

The verdict came after four weeks of testimony in which prosecutors painted the congressman as an arrogant lawbreaker who repeatedly turned to the money of others - taxpayers, charities, wealthy fund-raisers - to cover his personal and political debts. His lawyers did not say whether they planned to appeal.

While he had breezily dismissed the allegations and smirked through much of his trial, Fattah betrayed little emotion Tuesday as the jury foreman read out guilty verdict after guilty verdict - on all of the 22 counts he faced, including charges of fraud and money laundering.

Four longtime members of his inner circle - including Herbert Vederman, a former Philadelphia deputy mayor under Ed Rendell - were also convicted on multiple counts tied to crimes they committed to advance Fattah's political career. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III set sentencing dates for early October.

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