Former Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah sentenced to 10 years in prison

Former Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison, almost six months after being convicted on federal corruption charges. Fattah had faced up to 22 years behind bars for his crimes, after he was found guilty in June of racketeering, money laundering, and fraud, in relation to a scheme to pay back an illegal $1 million campaign loan.

Prosecutors alleged Fattah got into financial trouble during a costly failed bid for the Philadelphia mayoralship in 2007, saying Fattah took an illegal loan of $1 million and then used federal grant money and charitable funds to pay it back. Prosecutors also alleged Fattah accepted gifts from a wealthy friend, in exchange for seeking an ambassadorship for that friend.

Fattah has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, though he did resign from Congress two days after his June conviction. He will begin his sentence Jan. 25, 2017.

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