ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has scheduled a special election for May 5 to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, who resigned after pleading guilty to tax evasion.
Cuomo’s announcement comes days after a federal judge ordered him to set the date by noon Friday in a lawsuit brought by voters.
U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein said the Staten Island Republican congressman’s resignation Jan. 5 left 750,000 residents in a 66-square-mile area “bereft” of an advocate before the government bureaucracy or a voice in Congress.
Grimm is still awaiting sentencing.
Grimm made national headlines last year after telling a local cable TV news station reporter he wanted to throw him off a balcony in the Capitol for asking about an FBI probe into Grimm’s campaign finances.