Disgraced US Rep. Michael Grimm doesn’t want to show his face in court until he absolutely has to — and a judge on Monday said that’s OK.
Grimm’s defense lawyer won approval for the Staten Island Republican to skip routine court appearances in his fraud and perjury case.
“Obviously, Mr. Grimm has other obligations. That’s his prerogative if he doesn’t want to be here. We can waive his appearance, no problem,” Brooklyn federal Pamela Chen said.
Grimm faces a tough re-election battle against Democrat Domenic Recchia, a former city councilman, and was indicted two weeks after the deadline for the GOP to take his name off the November ballot.
Meanwhile, the hotheaded congressman toned down his act outside court, refusing to answer questions from reporters.
“Have a good day, everbody. Be safe,” he told reporters before hopping into a black SUV.
When he was indicted last month, Grimm defiantly vowed to fight the charges against him, which are tied to his former ownership of an Upper East Side eatery called “Healthalicious.”
The former Marine and ex-FBI agent blasted his indictment as a “political witch hunt,” insisting: “I know I’m a moral man, a man of integrity.”
Grimm is accused of evading taxes on more than $1 million in sales and wages paid to illegal aliens who were employed off the books.
The case grew out of a probe into his campaign finances, which led to the arrest of a former girlfriend for allegedly funneling “straw” donations into his political war chest.
In court Monday, prosecutors said the evidence against Grimm includes 7,000 pages of documents and 8,000 emails, which would be turned over to the defense later in the day.