 He was elected as a Democrat to the 88th U.S. Congress and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1981).After being indicted in the Abscam bribery scandal, he ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1980  Murphy was acquitted of bribery, but found guilty on lesser charges, and served 18 months in prison.During his time in Congress he chaired committees dealing with maritime and oceanic matters.