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The Democratic
congressman, who has served in Congress since 1995, was
arraigned on more than two dozen counts of racketeering, fraud,
bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and falsification of
records in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
He pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Timothy Rice.
The charges largely stem from his efforts to conceal and pay
back an illegal $1 million loan from an unidentified Virginia
businessman for his mayoral campaign, federal prosecutors said.
The congressman used money from federal grants and donations to
help pay back the loan, according to federal prosecutors.
Other charges stem from his alleged use of campaign funds to pay
off student loans for his son, while the bribery charges stem
from Fattah's efforts to promote an aide, Herbert Vederman, for
an ambassadorship or seat on the U.S. Trade Commission, they
said.
(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Eric Walsh)
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