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FARC, whose leaders are going on trial, is one of the many murderous offshoots of that ‘real socialism’ the Left insists ‘has never been tried.’A special court has been convened in Colombia to try eight leaders of the Marxist-Leninist terrorist outfit known as FARC — Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. Perhaps justice will be done upon these eight — will it ever be done for their enablers in the United States and elsewhere?FARC is one of the many murderous offshoots of that “real socialism” that our leftist friends always insist “has...

Former Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) will have to appeal his corruption conviction from prison starting in January, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. Fattah, 60, was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison on charges of fraud, bribery and money laundering after a jury convicted him on more than 20 counts. He has been ordered to report to prison by Jan. 25. Fattah had argued a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that limits the legal definition of bribery would likely help his appeal, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. In his opinion, however, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III...

Hey Hillary, here’s what normally happens to corrupt pols that divert charitable foundation donations to personal and political use. Why, I remember former Representative Chaka Fattah before he was consigned to the memory hole. He used to be a powerful Democrat in Congress, but now he’s a convict headed for ten-year sentence to the federal pen. His crimes sound familiar to those of us who have been focused on the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation’s hiring of political aides to Hillary in off years since her previous run for the presidency. CBS News reports: A federal judge has sentenced...

Former PA Democrat Congressman Chaka Fattah Gets 10 Years In Prison For Corruption December 12, 2016 PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge has sentenced Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah to 10 years behind bars on charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering. Earlier this year, Fattah, 60, was convicted of misspending government grants and charity money to fund his campaign and personal expenses, even as he and his TV anchor wife earned more than $500,000 a year. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle called the Philadelphia Democrat’s crimes “astonishing” given that he and his wife had an annual income that put them...

Former Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday on charges of money laundering, bribery and fraud. Fattah, 60, resigned from the House in June after being convicted on more than 20 counts of corruption. He'll have to report to prison by Jan. 25, 2017, to begin his sentence. Prosecutors had called for Fattah to receive 17 to 22 years in prison. Fattah had already lost the Democratic primary for the Philadelphia-area seat he represented for 22 years. His successor, Rep. Dwight Evans (D), was sworn in on Nov. 14 to finish the remaining weeks...

Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 17 to 21 years for a former Pennsylvania congressman convicted of a racketeering scheme that included a string of illicit financial moves to cover up an illegal $1 million campaign loan. Eleven-term Philadelphia Democrat Chaka Fattah is scheduled to be sentenced Monday, the denouement of a 30-year political career that took him on Air Force One and to a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

An Arizona Democratic lawmaker who once voted against welfare fraud protections in her state has been indicted on felony charges of defrauding the food stamp program. According to the indictment unsealed earlier this week, state Rep. Cecilia Velasquez was charged with three felony counts: unlawful use of food stamps, fraudulent schemes and practices, and theft. The Arizona Department of Economic Security began investigating Velasquez in 2014. According to the Arizona DES, Velasquez fraudulently used $1,726 worth of food stamps between 2013 and 2015. This past February, Velasquez had voted against a bill aimed at giving the same state agency stronger...

Greg Nash Resignation letter at link. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) is resigning effective immediately, he announced Thursday, after initially seeking to remain in Congress despite his conviction on corruption charges. "In my previous letter I indicated a later resignation date in order to provide for an orderly transition of my office after 21 years in the House," he wrote in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). "However, out of respect for the entire House Leadership, and so as not to cause a distraction from the House's work for the people, I have changed my effective date." Fattah first...

Greg Nash Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) submitted a letter of resignation from Congress on Wednesday that laid out his plan to remain as a member through October 3. The letter, sent a day after a jury convicted him of 23 corruption charges, was quickly ripped by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who called on Democratic leaders to join him in demanding Fattah's immediate resignation. "Mr. Fattah has betrayed the trust of this institution and the people of Pennsylvania, and for that he should resign immediately from the House of Representatives," Ryan said in a statement he tweeted out Wednesday. "We...

A jury has convicted veteran U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah in a racketeering case that largely centered on various efforts to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan. Fattah was found guilty of all 22 counts against him, including racketeering, fraud and money laundering. His lawyers had argued that schemes were engineered without Fattah's knowledge by two political consultants who pleaded guilty in the case. Fattah's jovial and calm demeanor didn't change much as the verdict was read....

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), a Hillary Clinton superdelegate, was convicted on Tuesday on corruption charges stemming from a racketeering conspiracy in which the congressman and four associates misappropriated thousands of dollars from federal, campaign, and charitable sources. Fattah and four associates were indicted in July 2015 on 29 corruption charges including racketeering, bribery, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, and falsification of records, among other charges. The Department of Justice said Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from his failed Philadelphia mayoral bid in 2007 and disguised it as a loan to his consulting company. At...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jury convicts Pennsylvania US Rep. Chaka Fattah in racketeering trial involving donor's secret $1M campaign loan.

Opening statements are expected Monday in the federal corruption trial of a veteran Pennsylvania congressman. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah is accused of accepting bribes and misusing campaign funds and federal grants to enrich his family and friends. An indictment alleges the 59-year-old Fattah took an illegal $1 million campaign loan for his failed 2007 mayoral campaign and misused federal funds to pay it back. …

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) took to Twitter on Saturday and attempted to lampoon a federal corruption investigation currently ongoing against him. Fattah and some of his associates have been wrapped up on a wide-ranging probe by the Department of Justice that includes charges of bribery, racketeering, illegal use of campaign funds and theft of charity money. The indictment came out last week. The congressman singled out one specific accusation Saturday – that an aide had secured $50,000 in funding support for a conference that the indictment alleges never occurred. “DOJ indictment falsely says that 'the Fattah founded Annual National Conference...

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), a onetime rising star who came to Congress 20 years ago as a next-generation reformer, was charged Wednesday with racketeering related to an off-books $1 million loan to his unsuccessful campaign for Philadelphia mayor in 2007. The Justice Department charged Fattah, a senior member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, and four supporters with 29 counts that included bribery, bank fraud and other corruption charges. “The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “By misusing campaign funds, misappropriating government funds, accepting...

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and four associates were indicted Wednesday on racketeering charges "involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests" of them all, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. [Snip] They include accepting a $1 million illegal loan for Fattah's failed 2007 mayoral campaign from a "wealthy supporter" and then repaying some of it using "charitable and federal grant funds" that passed through a non-profit founded and controlled by Fattah, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The indictment also accuses Fattah of seeking a $15 million federal grant for a political consultant in order...

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) estimated Saturday that Amtrak would require $117 billion for improvements to its Northeast Corridor following a fatal crash on that line earlier this week. “If we’re going to have passenger rail, we’re going to need to make it safe and make it efficient,” he told The Billy Penn. “It’s going to require investment,” he added, predicting Amtrak would need $117 “billion with a B” for reaching optimal safety and speed along its Northwest Corridor. Fattah, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, criticized Republicans for opposing additional funding measures for Amtrak. “One party thinks...

Chaka Fattah Jr., son of Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), is suing the Internal Revenue Service, seeking nearly $1 million in damages for what he says were violations of IRS rules that harmed his reputation and crippled his earning power during an investigation into allegedly unpaid taxes. ---SNIP--- He said that since the raid, his income plummeted, he had to leave his home at the Ritz-Carlton, and he faced additional lawsuits and liens over other debts and unpaid taxes. Fattah Jr., who once drove a Range Rover Sport and cultivated a reputation as a high-end mover in city affairs, had...

The U.S. Dept. of Justice is questioning the spending of a non-profit group linked to U.S. Rep Chaka Fattah, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Called Safety Net, the group aims to get guns off the street by trading $100 grocery store gift cards for firearms surrendered. The Justice Department said in an audit that it questioned the validity of $346,394 that was paid to its director, who was once a long-time Fattah employee, the Inquirer said. In fact, the director "repeatedly gave himself raises without board approval" the Justice Department alleges.

The FBI has been conducting a long-running investigation of Chaka Fattah and his finances. That's what his lawyer told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Just days ago, the FBI subpoenaed for his property tax records asking "for copies of checks used over the last five years to pay taxes on property the Democratic congressman and his wife, NBC10 news