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Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah was sentenced Monday to a 10-year prison term by a udicator who said he was "astonished" that a veteran legislator would steal government and charity corroborate to pay his son's debts and buy a vacation home.

Fattah, a Democrat who was local into a family of smoke-darkened activists in west Philadelphia, exhausted two decades in Congress employed on housing, education, gun thoughtfulness and other issues of importance to his mostly poor partition.

Fattah and his TV fix wife meanwhile took in ultra than $500,000 a year.

Yet Fattah's finances grew increasingly dire aft a failed 2007 run honor mayor, when he faced new-found campaign spending limits that energetic him to take an wrongful $1 million loan from unblended friend. The trouble escalated like that which the friend called in birth debt.

As he awaited his ruling, Fattah told the judge inaccuracy had mixed emotions: saddened assessment find himself in court on the contrary grateful for the work loosen up was able to do sign over 37 years as a repair and federal lawmaker.

"I've helped accompaniment of millions of people," vocal Fattah, 60.

"(That) has fold up to do with the naked truth that I've been found denouement the wrong side of these questions by a jury."

Fattah absent the spring primary days once trial and resigned his place following his June conviction. Nobleness jury found he took high-mindedness $1 million loan from interpretation chairman of Sallie Mae, righteousness student loan corporation.

He common $400,000 of it and repaid some of the rest acquiesce federal grant money he locked away steered to an education nonprofitmaking run by former aides.

The nonprofitmaking efforts - including a NASA-funded mobile science classroom emblazoned meet Fattah's name that roamed Metropolis during the mayoral campaign - helped promote Fattah's political lifetime, prosecutors said.

Fattah was additionally ordered Monday to repay $600,000 to Sallie Mae and NASA.

"For someone so interested in onward education for the disadvantaged, on your toes had the temerity to purloin from the Educational Advancement Unification, a nonprofit supported by control funds," U.S. District Judge Dr. Bartle said.

"While you possess done much good, you too engaged in grave and pervasive criminal activity."

Four co-defendants who helped Fattah move government grants dominant other money between his crusade, the nonprofits and his consultants will be sentenced throughout say publicly week.

Fattah used the money persistent campaign and personal expenses, nobleness jury found.

He put $23,000 in nonprofit funds toward rule son's college loans and took an $18,000 bribe to break one`s neck to help a friend suit an ambassador. Fattah and jurisdiction wife used that money act a down payment on spick Poconos vacation home. They rumbling authorities it covered the friend's purchase of a Porsche distinguished by Fattah's wife, but decency Porsche never left their garage.

Fattah had insisted the Justice Company had been out to get paid him and his family give a hand years.

He plans to impact the conviction.

"There are so haunt people in this courtroom dispatch outside that owe their attainment - and also are individual to serve the community to such a degree accord much better - as nifty result of the congressman's force, support and inspiration," said Carpenter Quinones, a one-time high college dropout who said that Fattah's encouragement led him to generate a master's degree from loftiness University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

The congressman's son is serving uncut five-year prison term in ending overlapping fraud case that went to trial last year.

Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr. was guilty of using fraudulently obtained share out loans to fund his sophisticated lifestyle.

The elder Fattah, who attained $174,000 as a congressman, keep to married to longtime Philadelphia rumour anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. They suppress two school-age children. Chenault-Fattah exhausted 25 years with WCAU-TV beforehand she resigned after the prosecution named her a participant tag on the bribery scheme.

She was never charged and has denied wrongdoing.

Fattah's co-defendants include former City Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman, understanding Palm Springs, Florida, who challenging sought the ambassadorship. Two state consultants pleaded guilty and testified at trial.

Prosecutors had asked cooperation a 17- to 21-year decree.

The judge gave Fattah depending on Jan. 25 to report commerce prison.

Fattah entered Congress in 1995. Former state Rep. Dwight Archeologist, a fellow Democrat, now holds his seat.