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.
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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)
Grimm launched his campaign for the 13th New York Congressional District seat on January 23, 2010. He was endorsed by former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani as well as Guy Molinari, a former U.S. Representative and Staten Island Borough President. He was also endorsed by the Conservative Party of New York State. He was challenged by Michael Allegretti who was endorsed by former six-term U.S. Representative Vito Fossella, the Staten Island Republican Party, State Senator Andrew Lanza, and State Assemblyman Lou Tobacco. Allegretti worked for the nonprofit Climate Group and cited his relationships with NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Grimm chose not to contest the Staten Island's party endorsement because of their "corrupt political culture" and "sham convention."
Grimm's primary win was divisive for the Republican Party leadership, which favored Allegretti. His campaign gained national attention from the Tea Party and the National Republican Congressional Committee, which contributed $90,000 to Grimm's campaign. He received endorsements from high-profile Republicans, including Giuliani, John McCain, Sarah Palin, and former president George H. W. Bush, who applauded his service in the Gulf War.
Grimm faced incumbent Michael McMahon in the general election. On October 12, the Staten Island Advance reported that it had been receiving emails from the McMahon campaign attacking Grimm's business credentials. Grimm reportedly admitted in an interview with the Staten Island Advance that his former restaurant in Manhattan, Healthalicious, had been on the verge of bankruptcy, forcing him to sell his stake in it. A major difference between the two candidates was the issue of the U.S. economic stimulus package, which the Advance called the "starkest contrast" among the two candidates. Grimm stated that the stimulus was a "huge waste" of taxpayer money and ineffective in generating job creation and economic recovery, whereas McMahon cited improvements in the state budget and renovations on the Staten Island Expressway and the Saint George Ferry Terminal as direct successes of the stimulus.
On November 2, 2010, Grimm defeated McMahon in the race, 51% to 48%. The Advance reported that Grimm won in large part due to his political signs, which became popular among his supporters. They stated, "McMahon raised my property taxes 18.5%".
Federal criminal investigation and conviction
In August 2012, the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said it was investigating Grimm's 2010 campaign. In November 2012, the House Ethics Committee decided to inquire into the campaign but agreed to "defer consideration" of it at the Department of Justice's request.
On January 10, 2014, the FBI arrested Grimm's former girlfriend Diana Durand on charges that she had illegally donated more than $10,000 to Grimm's 2010 campaign. Durand allegedly gave the campaign $4,800, the legal limit, but then used straw donors to donate more than $10,000 illegally. The FBI also charged Durand with lying to federal agents about the matter. Grimm denied any wrongdoing. In September 2014, Durand pled guilty to making illegal contributions to Grimm's 2010 campaign.
The investigation, which originally focused on Grimm's 2010 fundraising, branched out to include Grimm's prior business dealings. On April 25, 2014, Grimm's attorney was advised by the U.S. Attorney's office that his client would be indicted on criminal charges related to Healthalicious. On April 28, prosecutors unsealed a 20-count indictment charging that Grimm and others concealed over $1 million of the restaurant's sales and wages from both the U.S. federal government and the State of New York. Grimm surrendered to the FBI that morning. Grimm pled not guilty to all charges and was released on $400,000 bond. He told reporters that he not only had every intention of fighting the charges, but also of staying in office and running for a third term.
On December 23, 2014, less than two months after winning reelection, Grimm pled guilty to one charge of felony tax evasion. He admitted to under-reporting Healthalicious's revenues by more than $900,000 over four years and to filing false tax returns based on that under-reported income. He also admitted to using the under-reported receipts to pay restaurant expenses, as well as to make under-the-table cash payments to employees. As part of the plea bargain, the other charges were dropped, but Grimm admitted to two of the offenses in the original indictment: knowingly employing people ineligible to work in the United States and lying in a 2013 deposition. The crimes to which he pled guilty carried a prison sentence of up to 30 months.
Personal life
Prior to his indictment, Grimm lived on Staten Island. He is divorced with no children.
On September 22, 2024, Grimm became paralyzed from the chest down from a neck injury after being thrown off his horse during a game of polo. A Gofundme asking for $2.5 million to cover his medical expenses was made in the aftermath, and by December 26, it raised $729,000.