|
 Grimm, a Republican, easily won a third term in November despite
his indictment in April on charges of fraud, perjury and conspiracy
stemming from a Manhattan health food restaurant he formerly
co-owned, Healthalicious.
Court records showed a plea hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday
afternoon in Brooklyn federal court. His trial had been scheduled
for Feb. 2.
Grimm's lawyer declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Brooklyn U.S.
Attorney Loretta Lynch declined to comment.
It is not clear whether Grimm would seek to maintain his seat in
Congress, though he could face discipline from the House of
Representatives, including expulsion.
 The 20-count indictment accused Grimm of hiring illegal immigrants
at the restaurant, paying staffers under the table and
under-reporting how much he had spent in wages by keeping two sets
of payroll ledgers.
He was also charged with lying under oath about his practices during
a deposition in a federal lawsuit brought by former Healthalicious
employees who claimed they were not paid minimum wage.
[to top of second column] |
The indictment followed a probe of Grimm's fundraising. In
September, former Grimm fundraiser Diana Durand pleaded guilty to
funneling illegal contributions to his 2010 campaign.
Grimm, a former FBI agent, represents parts of the city's boroughs
of Staten Island and Brooklyn. He previously stirred controversy in
January when he was caught on camera threatening to throw a reporter
off a balcony and break him "in half, like a boy."
He defeated Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia Jr. on Nov. 4 in
New York's 11th Congressional District, pulling in 53 percent of the
vote compared with 41 percent for Recchia.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by
Meredith Mazzilli and Andrew Hay)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
