Michael Gerard Grimm (born February 7, 1970) is an American politician and convicted felon who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 13th congressional district from 2011 to 2013, and represented New York's 11th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2015 due to felony tax fraud charges. Both districts consisted of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn. Grimm is a Republican. On April 28, 2014, Grimm was charged by federal authorities with 20 counts of fraud, federal tax evasion, and perjury. On December 23, 2014, he pleaded guilty to a single count of felony tax fraud and "acknowledged committing perjury, hiring illegal immigrants, and committing wire fraud". He resigned from Congress effective January 5, 2015 and was later sentenced to eight months in prison. Grimm ran for Congress again in 2018, but lost in the Republican primary. He later worked as a political commentator for Newsmax. In 2024, he was in a horseback-riding accident that left him paralyzed. Grimm was pardoned by President Donald Trump on May 28, 2025.
Early life and education Grimm was raised as a Catholic in Queens, New York, the son of Petrina (née Castronova) and Gerard Grimm. He is of German, Irish, and Sicilian descent. He graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in 1988. Grimm entered active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1989. He received a combat promotion to corporal, and was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, among other awards. He later transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and was discharged from service in 1997. Grimm received a BBA in accounting from Baruch College in 1994. He received a Juris Doctor (magna cum laude) from New York Law School in 2002.
Career
Federal Bureau of Investigation (1991–2006) Grimm entered the FBI as a clerk in 1991. In 1995, he entered the FBI Academy in Quantico Station, Virginia. He graduated as a special agent and was certified to become an undercover agent. He transitioned into undercover agent work, eventually working in the FBI Gambino Squad, and was assigned to the inside activities of Peter Gotti, John Gotti's brother. Grimm worked for the FBI as an agent for nine years. In 2011, Evan Ratliff, writing for The New Yorker, reported that Grimm had been the subject of an internal investigation into allegations that he abused his authority as an FBI agent in a nightclub in 1999. At the time of the New Yorker report, the New York City Police Department and U.S. Justice Department had not released documents regarding the alleged incident. Grimm stated that the incident had been fully investigated and that he had been cleared of all allegations. During his time with the FBI, Grimm spent two years posing as a small-cap stockbroker, uncovering white-collar criminals on Wall Street. According to Grimm, the firm was involved in money laundering, making false trades, and manipulating stocks. After building a strong case for two years, he and the firm's partners were arrested together, at which point the police informed the group that they had been infiltrated by an undercover agent. Grimm stated in 2011 that he has long been aware of the possibility that people may try to take revenge on him. He left the FBI in 2006, citing his exhaustion from working long hours.
Business and finance (2006–2010) Before joining the FBI, Grimm worked for a year for Whale Securities, an investment banking firm. Shortly before leaving the bureau, Grimm invested in a luxury Texas development. In 2006, Grimm founded a small health food restaurant in Manhattan called Healthalicious. He co-owned and served as principal and chief executive officer of Austin Refuel Transport, an Austin, Texas-based bio-fuel company. As of 2011, Grimm owned 28% of the company, although he is no longer involved in daily operations nor is he CEO. In July 2011, the New York Daily News reported that Austin Refuel Transport had received 11 safety violations in two U.S. Department of Transportation checkups. Grimm's spokesman said that he now "has no authority or managerial role in the daily activities of the company. He is simply a silent investor."
U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2015)
Elections
2010
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