Story highlights More than a year after being released from prison, Grimm announced his campaign

Grimm pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2014 and later resigned from Congress

Washington (CNN) Michael Grimm, the former Republican congressman who went to jail for tax evasion, announced the launch of his campaign for his old seat representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn in New York on Sunday afternoon.

More than a year after being released from prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud charges , Grimm announced his intention to take back New York's 11th Congressional District seat from his replacement, fellow Republican Rep. Dan Donovan, in front of a crowd in the New Dorp section of Staten Island.

"I have matured. I'm tempered. I'm wiser. But I'm still the same guy you know yearning to serve you every chance I get," Grimm said during the campaign launch event. "Michael Grimm always goes the distance."

Beginning in 2015, Grimm served eight months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of tax fraud related to a Manhattan health food eatery, Healthalicious, he co-owned before taking assuming political office. Federal prosecutors say Grimm failed to report $1 million from his restaurant business in Manhattan prior to his 2010 election to Congress.

"I've had a lot of time to reflect and for introspection. I'm truly sorry if I let any of you down," Grimm told the crowd Sunday. "I feel like I let your voice be abruptly taken away from you when I resigned. From the very bottom of my heart, I am sorry and I do love you."

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