U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) is facing criminal charges from federal prosecutors, according to Grimm's lawyer. 

While Grimm's lawyer said his client has not committed any wrongdoing, Grimm has been accused of committing campaign violations since his first campaign for Congress in 2009 and 2010. In November, a House Ethics Committee announced that he was under investigation for alleged campaign finance violations, according to The Associated Press. 

"After more than two years of investigation plagued by malicious leaks, violations of grand jury secrecy, and strong-arm tactics, the U.S. Attorney's Office has disclosed its intent to file criminal charges against Congressman Grimm," Grimm's attorney William McGinley said in a statement Friday. "When the dust settles, he will be vindicated."

After the House Ethics Committee announced that Grimm was under investigation, the panel said it would defer its inquiry because of a separate investigation being conducted by the Department of Justice. 

Grimm became well-known in January after he confronted a New York City cable news reporter who tried to question him about an FBI investigation into his campaign finances. 

After the reporter finished the report, Grimm came back and said, "Let me be clear to you. If you ever do that to me again, I'll throw you off this (expletive) balcony."

During his campaign, Grimm acknowledged receiving $250,000 to $300,000 in contributions from followers of Israeli rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto. 

Some members of Pinto's congregations said they made tens of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, including gifts given through straw donors. 

Grimm denied knowing about the illegal donations. 

The FBI then sealed a criminal complaint accusing a Houston woman named Diana Durand, who had previously had a romantic relationship with Grimm, of using straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions. 

Durand was indicted Friday in Brooklyn on the charges. Additionally, she was charged with making false statements to the FBI when she said she didn't reimburse straw donors for their campaign contributions. 

Durand will plead not guilty to the charges, according to attorney Stuart Kaplan. 

According to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, a house member who has been indicted does not lose any rights or privileges under federal law or the chamber's rules. 

The rules only require that indicted chairpeople, or members of a party's leadership, temporarily step down.