By Kara Arundel

Watchdog City Press reporter

Washington, D.C. — U.S Congressman Henry “Trey” Radel III pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Superior Court. He waived his right to a trial where he could testify on behalf of himself and question witnesses, and U.S. Superior Court Judge Robert Tignor ordered Radel to one year probation with minimal supervision.

In court Wednesday, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie, he admitted to buying 3.5 grams of cocaine for $250 from an undercover officer in the historic neighborhood of Dupont Circle in D.C. at around 10 p.m. on Oct. 29.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar R. Mohanty told the court that confidential sources and informants had started an investigation into cocaine trafficking this fall and that FBI and DEA agents learned of Radel’s drug use.

Mohanty said the agents learned that Radel would buy cocaine for his personal use and share it with others.

The night of Oct. 29, Radel, an acquaintance whom he had used cocaine with in the past, and an undercover officer met at a restaurant in Dupont Circle.

Radel invited them to his apartment to use cocaine but the undercover officer and acquaintance declined. The undercover officer said he had cocaine to sell and the officer and Radel discussed the amount and price and agreed to the $250 for 3.5 grams of cocaine. They left the restaurant where Radel handed over $260. Radel and the undercover officer then went to the undercover officer’s car and got inside.

Once inside, the undercover officer gave the cocaine to Radel.

As Radel was getting out of the car, federal agents approached the car and Radel dropped the drugs to the street.

Radel agreed to speak with the agents at his apartment. Once there, Radel admitted to buying the cocaine and also gave agents a vial of cocaine that was in his apartment. In court, Mohanty said the substance in the vial wasn’t tested, but the drugs that Radel dropped on the street tested positive for cocaine.

Radel’s defense attorney Dave Schertler said Radel has sought help through an out patient drug program at Executive Addiction Disease Program in Washington, D.C. Radel now wants to go to Southwest Florida to continue treatment in an in-patient drug program, Schertler said.

“This isn’t a problem that goes away overnight,” Schertler said. “He knows this.”

Schertler said Radel has had no prior arrests, is a law abiding citizen, a former news reporter and has a wife and young child.

Schertler said he is confident Radel can make progress.

Although Radel’s plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office had agreed on six months of unsupervised probation, Judge Tignor voiced concern about being able to monitor Radel’s progress from Florida. Tignor decided to give Radel one year probation and minimal supervision, which could mean regular phone calls to check-in or periodic drug tests. It was not disclosed how long Radel plans to stay in treatment in Florida.

At court, Radel allowed Schertler to mostly speak for him, but when the judge asked Radel if he had anything to say, Radel apologized.

“I apologize for what I’ve done. In life, I think I’ve hit rock bottom. I am so sorry to be here,” he said.

Radel, a Republican who represents the 19th District representing the Naples and Fort Myers area on the coast of southwest Florida, said he let his constituents, his country, and his wife and young son down. "I want to be a better man and a better husband and to continue to serve my country,” he said.

Rapid rise and fall played on TV and tweets in past month

By Kara Arundel

Watchdog City Press reporter for Naples City Desk

Washington, D.C. —Rep. Trey Radel’s rapid rise and crash has played out before TV and tweets in the past month. In the weeks before his arrest on a cocaine possession charge, he made the talk show circuit rounds on an anti-Obamacare crusade.

But on Wednesday morning a throng of media was there to capture and tweet the fall of the feisty young Republican freshman from Naples and Fort Myer’s 19^th District whose political future appeared to collapse like a house of cards.

Late Wednesday at a press conference back in his district, Radel apologized and said he would take a leave of absence, but not resign.

"I believe in forgiveness and redemption," Radel said.

Radel waived his right to trial and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession on Wednesday. He will receive one year of probation with minimal supervision and he will enter an in-patient addiction treatment program in Naples. 

His attorney, David Schertler, said in court: “This isn’t a problem that goes away over night. He knows this.”

Since purchasing cocaine on Oct. 29 he’s attended outpatient drug treatment in D.C. at an executive addiction disease program.

After his court appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday, a mob of reporters chased Radel who ran through the courthouse, down three flights of stairs and to a waiting car. At one point, a reporter snagged her high heel in the sidewalk and fell. And Radel, a former TV news reporter before his turn to business and politics, stopped and helped her up.

News of Radel’s arrest touched off a barrage of calls for his resignation on social media and in comments posted under stories across the web on Tuesday. But resignation or not, constituents in his overwhelmingly GOP district resoundingly opined online that the coke bust would certainly kill his political career and chances for re-election in 2014.

Radel was arrested for possession of cocaine for an incident that took place on Oct. 29, according to court documents. The misdemeanor charge carries a fine of up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail upon conviction.

In a statement released on Facebook, Radel said he was profoundly sorry that he let down his family and the people of Southwest Florida.

“I know I have a problem and will do whatever is necessary to overcome it, hopefully setting an example for others struggling with this disease,” Radel said, referring to a problem with alcoholism that he blamed for the “poor choice” to buy cocaine.

Weeks earlier in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Radel urged his colleagues in Washington to act like grown-ups. Radel loved Twitter and had tweeted from the Geraldo Rivera show on the day of his cocaine purchase. He branded himself as the hip-hop conservative who at times sent out bizarre tweets about the SkyMall catalogue.

[The reporter on this story has chosen to make it free. When you choose to buy it, you support her on-going work and the money goes right to her.]