Indicted Rep. Chaka Fattah due in federal court next week

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, charged in a 29-count racketeering conspiracy indictment, will make his first appearance in federal court next week along with three others charged in his case, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Friday.

The hearing - scheduled for Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy R. Rice - will come nearly three weeks after prosecutors first accused the 11-term Democratic congressman of using federal grant money and charitable donations he controlled to pay off debts and line the pockets of his family and inner circle.

Fattah, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, has brushed off recent calls for his resignation and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Codefendants - Bonnie Bowser, Fattah's chief of staff in his district office; Karen Nicholas, a former Fattah staffer; and Robert Brand, a Fattah family friend - are also scheduled for court appearances Tuesday.

Another man charged in the case, former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman, pleaded not guilty at a hearing last week. - Jeremy Roebuck