A U.S. Congressman In Trouble Over Illegal Donation From Israeli Rabbi

In this July 11, 2011 file photo, a man kisses the hand of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto at a wedding in Lod, central Israel. In the fall of 2009, when future U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm announced his run for congress, he sorely needed a rainmaker who could get the dollars flowing to his nascent campaign. He found one in an Israeli Rabbi Pinto, but now that fruitful association has turned into a big headache for the Staten Island Republican – one involving allegations of illegal donations, a bizarre blackmail claim and potentially embarrassing associations with people in the pornography business.

In this July 11, 2011 file photo, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto attends a wedding in Lod, central Israel. In the fall of 2009, when future U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm announced his run for congress, he sorely needed a rainmaker who could get the dollars flowing to his nascent campaign. <AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File>

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