Chaka Fattah Jr Remains Defiant, Optimistic Post Conviction
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Chaka Fattah Jr, the son of Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah, was convicted on 22 of 23 bank and tax-fraud charges in federal court, but remained defiant that he will be vindicated on appeal.
Fattah, speaking to Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, said he was singled out by prosecutors simply for the way he ran his business ventures.
"It happened this time. This may be the first time. That shows why this is an outlier. That shows that this isn't the normal process. Look at the reporting on this. You'll see. They brought in former clients of mine, saying they were unhappy. That's why I brought in clients of mine that were. They brought in customers who were unsatisfied, four of them, people without a prominent names...I showed that the problem is, in this case, the prosecutors focused on things that are not against the law."
He also accused the prosecution of targeting him for items he purchased and clothes he wore.
"We talked about, in this trial, specific brand names. We're not saying that they said I had ties. We're saying that they said I had Hermes ties...It turns into a brand name fest. This is what's in the paper, Hermes ties, large plasma televisions, Louis Vuitton sneakers, Armani and Trussini, by the way, suits that were purchased for me when I was in High School."
Fattah continued to maintain his innocence and insisted he will prevail victoriously when the matter is finally settled.
"I'm not going anywhere...You can't persecute someone for running a business. I'll tell you right here, today, I'm not going to jail. You'll see. But, I'm not going anywhere. I'm a lifelong Philadelphian. I'm confident in the legal process and I believe, ultimately, the 3rd Circuit [Court] will agree with me."
