Ex congressional staffer pleads guilty to using representative’s account for personal expenses

WASHINGTON - A former congressional staffer pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud after misusing the financial information of her former employer, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

What we know:

Courtney Melissa Hruska, 40, of Alexandria, worked in the representative’s office from August 2015 to January 2022. According to court documents, the lawmaker entrusted Hruska with personal credit card and bank account information as part of her official duties.

Hruska left the office for a federal agency job in January 2022. Officials say that without authorization, she kept the representative’s financial information and used the lawmaker’s bank account to pay her own credit card bills on 10 occasions between Aug. 19, 2023, and July 30, 2024.

More than a year passed between Hruska’s first fraudulent transaction and the representative’s discovery of the theft, in part because the lawmaker did not use electronic banking. The member ultimately recovered less than 9% of the stolen funds.

In total, prosecutors say Hruska caused a loss of at least $22,865.07.

Hruska is scheduled to be sentenced June 23 and faces up to 20 years in prison.