Chaka Fattah
Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Wesley Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2016. The district included portions of North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia along with Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County. He previously served in the Pennsylvania Senate and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Chaka Fattah | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – June 23, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Lucien Blackwell |
| Succeeded by | Dwight Evans |
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 7th district | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – August 31, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Freeman Hankins |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Hughes |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 192nd district | |
| In office January 4, 1983 – November 30, 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Nick Pucciarelli |
| Succeeded by | Louise Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Wesley Davenport November 21, 1956 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Renee Chenault |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Community College of Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania (BA, MPA) |
Currently, Fattah serves as the President and CEO of Fattah Neuroscience Global Advisors, a consulting firm dedicated towards advancing brain science and health research, and Chair of the National Brain Council.
On July 29, 2015, Fattah and a group of associates were indicted on federal charges related to their alleged roles in a racketeering and influence peddling conspiracy. He was convicted on 23 counts of racketeering, fraud, and other corruption charges on June 21, 2016, and resigned two days later. On December 12, 2016, Fattah was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On August 9, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia overturned Fattah's bribery convictions. On July 12, 2019, a Philadelphia judge sentenced Fattah to 10 years in federal prison for public corruption. He was released from prison in the summer of 2020.