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| Trey Radel |
Freshman GOP Rep. Trey Radel was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor
possession of cocaine in what a senior Drug Enforcement Administration official
described as a sting operation, according to the Ft.
Myers News-Press.
Radel, 37, will appear in court Wednesday morning. The
charge carries a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000 for
a first offense.
Radel, a former WINK TV journalist and morning radio talk
show host for WFSX 92. FM , issued a statement acknowledging he has a problem
requiring treatment.
"I'm profoundly sorry to let down my family,
particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest
Florida ," he said. "I struggle with the disease of
alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of
a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a
better man for both of them.
The charging document, which uses Radel's full name -- Henry
J. Radel III -- says he "did unlawfully, knowingly and intentionally
possess a quantity of cocaine."
Radel was caught by federal agents after a dealer they had
arrested told investigators one of his clients was a congressman, according to
the senior DEA official.
Multiple law enforcement agencies working jointly as a drug
task force set up a buy with Radel, who bought the cocaine Oct. 29, the
official said. FBI agents arrested Radel that night at his Washington apartment.
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