Rep. Michael Grimm has surrendered to federal authorities to face charges related to a New York City restaurant he owned.
The Washington Post reports that Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island, has been hit with multiple charges in connection to an Upper East Side restaurant he owned and operated prior to joining Congress in 2011. The restaurant, Healthalicious, is reportedly tied to who the Post described as "an Israeli fundraiser who served as a liaison between Grimm and a mystic, celebrity rabbi whose followers donated more than $500,000 to Grimm’s campaign in 2010."
Grimm reportedly started the business after leaving the FBI in 2006, and the Post adds that Healthalicious was fined $88,000 by the state for not compensating employees. Employees in turn filed a lawsuit claiming the restaurant's owners not only failed to compensate them properly, but occasionally paid them in cash to avoid tax and business laws.
According to the Staten Island Advance, attorney Mario Gallucci said Grimm would be processed prior to being arraigned and anticipated the government would seek bail between "150,000 to $200,000." The New York Times also notes that Grimm still plans on running for re-election, scandal be damned.
[via Washington Post, New York Times and Staten Island Advance]
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