Trump Pardons Ex-Congressman Behind Tax Fraud at Upper East Side Restaurant

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Michael Grimm, the former Staten Island congressman who resigned after pleading guilty to felony tax evasion, was pardoned this week by President Trump. While Grimm’s political career centered around Staten Island and Brooklyn, his legal downfall was tied to a small Upper East Side restaurant once located at 1594 Second Avenue (between 82nd and 83rd streets).

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That restaurant, Healthalicious, offered fitness-focused fare with names like “Hard Core” and “Get Ripped.” But despite its health-conscious branding, the eatery was at the center of a federal investigation that ultimately ended Grimm’s time in Congress.

Grimm partially owned and operated Healthalicious from 2007 to 2010. During that time, federal prosecutors said he failed to report more than $1 million in sales and wages, paid workers off the books—many of whom lacked legal work authorization—and lied under oath about it while serving in Congress. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of tax fraud in 2014 and served seven months in prison.

As MSNBC reported in 2014, “The counter-serve café, nestled between an Italian restaurant and a children’s toy store on the Upper East Side, is at the center of a brewing storm for the Republican.” The article described the modest eatery as having “four tiny tables with lime green booths” and a menu promoting items like “Healthalicious Eggplant Schnitzel” and “Distance Runner.” At the time, many customers were unaware of the restaurant’s political significance.

Healthalicious had its share of complaints. According to the MSNBC report, the restaurant received multiple health code violations around the time of Grimm’s ownership, including for mice, flying insects, and improperly refrigerated food. One Yelp reviewer wrote, “This place put me in the hospital with the worst food poisoning I ever had.” Another described witnessing an employee pick his nose while preparing a salad.

The restaurant’s slogan, “better than delicious,” didn’t always match public perception. While some diners enjoyed the food, others cited quality control issues, high prices, and sanitation concerns. “The owner did seem like a very hard working sweet guy,” one customer wrote in 2007. “I ran into the owner today and he says he’s been working on this and feels like he’s getting those issues under control,” another noted in 2008—though it’s unclear whether they were referring to Grimm.

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Grimm’s prosecution began as a campaign finance inquiry but evolved into what the New York Times described as a “20-count indictment related to his former management of a restaurant called Healthalicious.” In a 2018 campaign, he claimed the case was politically motivated—a position Trump echoed this week when announcing the pardon. “President Trump knows firsthand the impact of a weaponized justice system,” said spokesman Harrison Fields in the Times report. “He said the president was ‘using his constitutional authority to right the wrongs of Americans who’ve been impacted by this corrupt system.’”

Now a right-wing TV personality who has been off the air following a horseback riding accident, Grimm said in a recent statement that he hopes to return to Newsmax following rehabilitation.

The former site of Healthalicious is now occupied by a new development rental building called The Duchess.

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