CongressionalBadBoys.com | home | Richmond Frederick William Richmond Democrat, New York (1975-1982) The Honorable Fred Richmond plead guilty to tax evasion and two other federal charges in 1982, and agreed to resign from the House of Representatives.  But when charges first surfaced, Richmond asserted his innocence:  "I don't feel one ounce of embarrassed.  I'm not ashamed of anything I've done.  I've done nothing wrong."   (Click here for other examples of "Lyin' Through Their Teeth"). 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. Richmond was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and fined $20,000 for the marijuana possession and making illegal payment to a government employee. Fred Richmond became a member of the Congressional Prison Caucus. 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." Oh, did we forget to mention the sex? In 1978, Richmond admitted that he had solicited sex with a 16-year-old boy and then with an undercover policeman at his Washington home.  The misdemeanor charges were dropped after Richmond agreed to undergo professional counseling. Sources:  Joseph Fried, "Richmond Sentenced to a Year and a Day, and Fined $20,000," New York Times, Nov. 11, 1982, A1;  Ralph Blumenthal, "Richmond Admits Guilt in U.S. Case and Quits Congress,"  New York Times, August 26, 1982, A1;  Mary Thornton, "Legacy of Richmond:  People Baffled by His Behavior," Washington Post, August 26, 1982.