Radel will enter in-patient treatment in Florida. | M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO Radel pleads guilty to cocaine charge

Rep Trey Radel (R-Fla.) pleaded guilty on Wednesday morning to possession of cocaine before a D.C. Superior Court judge and will be on supervised probation for one year.

In his first court appearance since his arrest last month, prosecutors described how Radel was swept up in a sting operation by federal officials as he attempted to buy cocaine in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood from an acquaintance and an undercover agent. When Radel was approached by federal agents, he dropped the cocaine he had purchased.


Radel, a freshman Republican congressman from Florida, also had cocaine in his apartment, according to the prosecutor Nihar Mohanty.

According to the court documents, Radel “on several occasions purchased, possessed and used cocaine.”

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“The agents learned that the defendant would purchase cocaine for his personal use and also, on occasion, share it with others,” according to the court documents.

Radel, 37, will enter in-patient treatment in Florida. He has already been seeing a drug counselor in D.C., his lawyer said in court.

“I’ve hit a bottom where I realize I need help,” he said inside the courthouse. The congressman said nothing as he left the court.

In court, Radel’s lawyer, David Schertler, said the congressman has been in treatment at the Executive Addiction Disease Program in Washington.

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The story of how Radel ended up in a D.C. courthouse involves undercover federal agents, and a drug sting, according to the U.S attorney. Around 10 p.m. on Oct. 29, Radel met with an acquaintance with whom he had used cocaine and an undercover federal agent at a Dupont Circle restaurant. He invited the pair back to his D.C. apartment, but they declined. Radel went into a car with the undercover federal agent when he said he had cocaine to sell. Radel tried to buy 3.5 grams of cocaine for $250 — he handed the undercover officer $260, according to court documents. When he left the car, Radel was approached by uniformed federal officers and the Republican dropped the cocaine. They then went back to Radel’s apartment, where there was more cocaine, according to the prosecutor and court documents.

Radel has made no mention of resigning from the House.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he said he struggles “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.”

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A spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, “Members of Congress should be held to the highest standards, and the alleged crime will be handled by the courts. Beyond that, this is between Rep. Radel, his family, and his constituents.”

The Florida Republican, who holds a district on the western coast of Florida that includes the tony Marco Island, is a former journalist, TV anchor and radio talk-show host. He never held elective office before winning his House seat last November. His district was vacated by former Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), who ran for the Senate.

In the statement, Radel said he realizes “the disappointment my family, friends and constituents must feel. Believe me, I am disappointed in myself, and I stand ready to face the consequences of my actions.”

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The arrest, he said, has a “positive side.”

“It offers me an opportunity to seek treatment and counseling,” he said. “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.”