Influence Alley

A federal grand jury is probing allegations of improper fundraising by Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., according to a report in the New York Daily News

The FBI has reportedly been investigating Grimm, a freshman lawmaker, for his fundraising and whether he accepted improper campaign contributions in his first bid for Congress.

The Daily News reported that at least two people affiliated with Grimm's campaign have received subpoenas to testify before the grand jury. The New York Times wrote a detailed piece in January that raised questions about how Grimm had raised money for his first congressional bid.

From the Daily News:

The grand jury has been busy investigating another case - allegations that former aides to a prominent New York Rabbi, Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, embezzled millions of dollars worth of donations from the rabbi and his flock.

Pinto is the same rabbi who went to Congressman Anthony Weiner in 2010 to complain that Grimm was pressuring both him and members of his congregation for campaign contributions.

Pinto has been cooperating with the FBI and has met with agents and an assistant U.S. attorney more than 20 times to try to unravel how his congregation was fleeced, three sources said.

The rabbi provided investigators with a list of more than a dozen names of people to question about the congregation's missing millions, sources said.

Included on the list were the names of several congregants who, separately, claimed Grimm accepted illegal campaign contributions in 2010 -- and, in one case, an envelope full of cash.

Grimm, a former FBI agent himself, has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this week, the Office of Congressional Ethics dropped an inquiry into Grimm, which he and his lawyer publicized.

"I welcome the unanimous recommendation of the Office of Congressional Ethics to dismiss this matter, and respect the system in place to uphold the highest ethical standards for those who serve in Congress," he said in a statement.

The lawyer, William McGinley, said then that, "As we have said before, the allegations against Congressman Grimm are unfounded and any fair and objective inquiry will confirm that Congressman Grimm engaged in no wrongdoing."

McGinley did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.