Michael Grimm, a former House member convicted of tax fraud, became paralyzed in the fall

NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, A New York Republican who resigned from Congress after being convicted of tax fraud is paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a horse during a polo tournament. This is reported by friends who are collecting donations to finance the former MP’s medical care.

Grimm, 54, suffered the devastating injury in September and is currently being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey, where the late actor also lived Christopher Reeve According to Vincent Ignizio, a friend of Grimm’s and a former New York City Council member, he was treated after a similar horseback riding accident in 1995.

Grimm has been an avid polo player for years, Ignizio said. “It was a passion of his and he suffered a tragic accident at the end of September,” said Ignizio, who has set up a GoFundMe account to pay for Grimm’s medical care.

A former Marine and FBI agent, Grimm represented Staten Island and part of Brooklyn in Congress from 2011 to 2015.

A federal investigation into Grimm’s fundraising efforts launched in 2012 eventually led to a 20-count indictment focused on a restaurant Grimm operated in Manhattan. Prosecutors said he underreported wages and income to the government and filed false tax documents.

Grimm won re-election in 2014 despite the charges, but pleaded guilty to tax fraud the following month. He resigned from Congress in January 2015 and served eight months in prison.

Grimm attempted a comeback in 2018 However, he lost a Republican primary for his old district to incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan, who then lost the general election to Democrat Max Rose.

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis defeated Rose in 2020 and has represented the district since then.

Grimm recently worked as an anchor at Newsmax.

As of midday Monday, the GoFundMe for Grimm’s medical care had raised $118,000. “His ultimate goal is to be able to walk again,” Ignizio said.