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Judge Denies Michael Grimm Permission to Work in Europe

By Nicholas Rizzi | March 6, 2015 4:31pm
 A judge denied former congressman Michael Grimm's motion to modify his bail so he can travel to Europe for work because Grimm could jump bail overseas.
A judge denied former congressman Michael Grimm's motion to modify his bail so he can travel to Europe for work because Grimm could jump bail overseas.
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DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi

STATEN ISLAND — A bid by disgraced former congressman Michael Grimm to travel to Europe was denied by a judge who considers him a flight risk.

Judge Pamela Chen denied a motion filed by Grimm's lawyers earlier this week to modify his bail to allow him to travel out of the country to Europe for a week for a "job opportunity."

"While Grimm’s incentive to flee arguably will be no greater in the spring than it is now, his opportunity to do so and to travel even further to a jurisdiction where he can avoid extradition, would surely be enhanced if he is permitted to leave the United States for a week," Chen wrote in her motion.

"Even though Grimm has posted his home as security for his pre-sentence release bond, the Court does not find that the loss of that property provides sufficient suasion if Grimm decides to leave the United States to avoid a possible prison term. Obviously, if Grimm chose to flee, he would not need a house in the United States." 

Under Grimm's bail terms, he is not allowed to travel outside of the United States and Chen ruled that going overseas for a potential job did not warrant lifting the restriction.

Court papers did not reveal the company or the position the former congressman was pursuing.

Grimm, 44, pleaded guilty in December to tax fraud for hiding more than $1 million in profits from an Upper East Side eatery he co-owned. He copped to underreporting sales receipts and workers' salaries in 2009 and agreed to restitution to the government under the plea.

Almost a week after his plea, Grimm announced he would resign from his congressional seat. A special election to fill the position — which represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn — was set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for May 5.

District Attorney Dan Donovan will run on the Republican ticket against Brooklyn Councilman Vincent Gentile, who was selected to run for the Democrats.

Grimm could face a maximum of three years in prison for his guilty plea to tax fraud. His sentencing is set for June 8.

His lawyer, Daniel Rashbaum, did not want to comment for this story.