New York holds special congressional election to replace Grimm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers voted in a special election to replace disgraced Representative Michael Grimm on Tuesday, a month before his sentencing for federal tax evasion. Among the candidates to fill the 11th congressional district seat is Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, who drew national attention last year for presenting evidence to a grand jury that did not indict a white police officer in the choking death of an unarmed black man, Eric Garner, during an attempted arrest. Donovan is the Republican candidate in the city's only Republican-leaning district, which encompasses the New York City borough of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn. His Democratic challenger is Vincent Gentile, a member of the New York City Council and former state senator. Grimm, a Republican who was elected to a third term while under federal indictment, resigned on Jan. 5. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges related to a Manhattan health food restaurant he partly owned, Healthalicious, and faces up to three years in prison at his June 8 sentencing. Grimm, a former FBI agent once considered a rising political star, drew a national spotlight when he was caught on camera last year threatening a reporter questioning him about an investigation into his campaign funds. He told NY1 television reporter Michael Scotto, "I'll break you in half. Like a boy." (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Bill Trott)