Fred Richmond

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Frederick William Richmond (born November 15, 1923) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Richmond was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He served in the United States Navy from 1943 until 1945. He graduated from Boston University in 1945. He served as deputy finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1958 until 1960. He was a delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. He was a member of the New York City Council from 1973 until 1974. He was elected to Congress in 1974 and represented New York's 14th congressional district from January 3, 1975 until August 25, 1982.

In 1978, he was charged with soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy. The misdemeanor charges were dropped after Richmond agreed to undergo professional counseling. [1]

In his fourth term in Congress, Richmond was charged with tax evasion and possession of marijuana. There had been an eight-month Justice Department investigation, and Richmond pleaded guilty to deliberately under-reporting his federal income by $50,000, possessing marijuana cigarettes obtained from his Congressional staff, and having made an illegal $7,420 payment to a Navy employee who had been helpful in obtaining government contracts for the former Brooklyn Navy Yard.

He resigned his seat as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and fined $20,000 for the marijuana possession and making illegal payment to a government employee. [2] He served nine months.[3] Some time later, a dead body was found in his apartment. The man had overdosed on drugs,

Richmond was one of the wealthiest members of Congress, and he engaged in a wide array of civic and charitable activities in New York. In college, he supported himself by playing the piano and forming the Freddie Richmond Swing Band. Then he made, and lost, and made again, a fortune in the import-export business.

One colleague described Richmond as a "very confused man," who would alternately scream insults at his staff members and then offer to send their children to college.

An unnamed colleague: "I liked him, but he was an obnoxious son of a bitch. I've seen him abuse staff verbally . . . . He was a bully. He'd have wild, insane moments. He was a very insecure man with 32 million bucks in his pocket. He thought he was bigger than the rules."

He is currently a resident of New York City.

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Preceded by John J. Rooney	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th congressional district 1975–1982	Succeeded by Guy V. Molinari