Veteran U.S. congressman found guilty on corruption charges

A veteran Pennsylvania congressman was convicted in Philadelphia on Tuesday on corruption charges, including racketeering, fraud and money laundering, multi TV networks reported.

Chaka Fattah, who had been in Congress since 1995 and served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, was found guilty of all counts against him, including allegations that Fattah borrowed one million dollars from a donor during his unsuccessful campaign for Philadelphia mayor and later repaid part of the loan by using federal grants and non-profit funds.

The Justice Department further alleged that Fattah used funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to help pay off his son's student loan debt, said a The Hill news daily report.

He was also charged with accepting financial bribes while trying to secure an ambassadorship or appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission for former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman.

Defense lawyers acknowledged Fattah might have gotten himself in financial trouble after a costly 2007 mayoral bid, but they said any help from friends amounted to gifts, not bribes.

"The nanny, the Porsche and the Poconos, they weren't part of a bribery scheme," Fattah lawyer Samuel Silver argued in closings. "Those were all overreaches by the prosecution."

Fattah, a 59-year-old Democrat, lost both the primary in April and his bid for his 12th term. His current term ends in December.

He will remain free on bail until he is sentenced on Oct. 4. Enditem