FBI Investigates Congressman Fattah's Son

The FBI is investigating why Chaka Fattah Jr.'s consulting company was paid $450K by an education firm, authorities say.

Federal authorities are investigating the son of a Pennsylvania congressman.

FBI and Treasury Department agents went to the downtown home and office of Chaka “Chip” Fattah Jr. on Wednesday, reports the Inquirer.

His father, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, is a Democrat representing Philadelphia and some suburbs.

The Inquirer reports the younger Fattah owns a consulting company that has worked for an alternative school run by Philadelphia attorney David Shulick.

More specifically, the feds want to know why Fattah’s company was paid $450,000 by Shulik’s education firm, which has gotten millions in contracts from the Philadelphia School District, reports the Inquirer.

Shulik’s company is for-profit and contracts with school districts to educate students with discipline problems, according to the Inquirer.

In a statement Wednesday, Shulick said investigators took documents from Chaka Fattah Jr.'s office at Shulick's legal firm. Shulick says the probe is unrelated to his law clients.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the school," Shulick told the Inquirer. "We have nothing to hide, and we let them in and let them search [Fattah Jr.'s] office unfettered."

In an e-mail later, Shulik wrote that Fattah Jr. "is being victimized merely because his last name is 'Fattah,’” reports the Inquirer.

Congressman Fattah’s spokesman Ron Goldwyn told NBC10 Philadelphia Thursday that, "Obviously, the congressman stands by his son. However, the congressman and our office have no involvement in this matter."

FBI officials have been looking into Fattah Jr.  for at least a year, according to the Inquirer. The inquiries into the congressman’s son were sparked by an investigation into Mikel Jones, a lawyer and childhood friend of Fattah Sr. That investigation ended with Jones being convicted of federal fraud charges, reports the Inquirer.

In the investigation into Jones’ finances it was discovered that Jones, who had a personal injury business, had hired Fattah Jr. to help expand the business because he had “access,” federal authorities told the Inquirer. What exactly the term “access” entailed was not explained.

The younger Fattah did not immediately return a call for comment.

An FBI spokesman did not return a call to NBC10 Philadelphia for comment and a call to Shulik was not returned.

Fattah Jr. is the stepson of NBC10 Philadelphia anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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