The son of Philadelphia congressman Chaka Fattah will be back in a federal courtroom on Thursday to be formally arraigned on fraud charges.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Chaka Fattah, Jr. stole federal funding and illegally took out business loans to help pay for personal expenses and large gambling debts.
Fattah, Jr. allegedly lied about his income to obtain more than $200,000 in business loans. Prosecutors say he used $33,000 of that money to pay off a casino debt and that he filed false tax returns.
The man said since he was self-employed he could freely move money from personal to business accounts.
"If I want to do something with that money, it's up to me. If I want to buy a new suit, I can (do that). I can do anything I want," he said. "This is America."
The government also says the 31-year-old, who ran two consulting companies, inflated his expenses to take money from a federally funded charter school program for at-risk middle school students.
Fattah, Jr. said he planned to fight the charges. His father, a 10-term Democrat who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, questioned the validity of the case and called it politically motivated.
He remains free on $50,000 bail.
Fattah, Jr. is the stepson of longtime NBC10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah.
