Michael G. Grimm, a Republican congressman representing Staten Island, has changed directions and announced late Monday Dec. 29, that he will resign from his position, effective Jan. 5. Grimm is resigning in the wake of charges of felony tax evasion, to which he pleaded guilty.
Grimm was charged with underreporting employees’ wages while he was owner of a Manhattan restaurant, Healthalicious. He was originally charged in a 20 count indictment and the charges hung over him during his re-election campaign. When he pleaded guilty, Grimm said he would not resign. However, after meeting with John Boehner, the Speaker of the House and Republican leader in congress, the New York congressman changed direction.
Grimm, 44, a former agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, issued a statement shortly before midnight on Monday, Dec. 29. He wrote: “I do not believe that I can continue to be 100 percent effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life.”
The sentencing hearing for Grimm is set to take place on June 8, 2015.