The New York police arrested Congressman Michael Grimm Monday morning on federal criminal charges, law enforcement officials said.
Initial reports say that Grimm surrendered to the FBI and was transported to its headquarters in Manhattan. He is expected to appear in a federal court later in the day.
As previously reported, officials revealed that Grimm might face charges for private deals he made before being elected as New York Republican representative in 2010.
The United States Attorney Loretta Lynch is expected to announce charges related to Grimm's restaurant business that he set up after leaving the FBI in 2006, officials familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post on condition of anonymity. The state penalized Healthalicious, an Upper East Side restaurant, $88,000 for not providing workers compensation. Workers accuse the company of not getting proper wages and sometimes receiving cash payments to waive off tax and business laws.
Confirming the indictment, Grimm's lawyer William McGilney said in a statement Friday that the government was indulging in a "political driven vendetta" against the 44-year-old politician. "Congressman Grimm asserts his innocence of any wrongdoing. When the dust settles, he will be vindicated."
The FBI investigation into Grimm's election campaign finances led to the arrest of fundraiser Diana Durand this January. Durand, an ex-girlfriend of Grimm, was charged with making illegal contributions, making contributions in someone else's name and providing false statements to the FBI. She is accused of channeling more than $10,000 into the Republican's campaign.
Grimm, a former FBI agent and U.S. Marine, is serving his second term representing Staten Island. He does not lose any rights or privileges under the federal law or the chamber's rules, CBS New York reported citing the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Rules used by the two major political parties require indicted committee or subcommittee chairmen, or members of a party's leadership, to step down for the time being. Grimm does not hold chairmanship and or is a member of the leadership.
