Congressman Chaka Fattah Son Indicted for Bank Fraud, Used Funds for Gambling

PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — The son of Philadelphia congressman Chaka Fattah has been indicted and charged with bank fraud, tax evasion and misspending federal education funds.

The federal indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Chaka Fattah Jr. of lying about his income to obtain more than $200,000 in business loans he then spent on personal expenses, gambling debts and legal fees.

He is also charged with inflating expenses related to federal funds he received for a charter school program for at-risk students.

WPVI-TV reports that the 31-year-old Fattah surrendered Tuesday morning at the federal courthouse and vowed to clear his name.

Fattah has a lawsuit pending against the Internal Revenue Service over a 2012 search of his Philadelphia home that he says damaged his reputation.

His father is a longtime Democratic congressman.