Former Staff Member in U.S. House of Representatives Indicted on Corruption Charges

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “WASHINGTON – A grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a three-count indictment today charging a former staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives with corruption offenses, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced. Fraser C. Verrusio, 39, was charged by the grand jury with conspiring to accept an illegal gratuity, accepting an illegal gratuity, and making a false statement in failing to report his receipt of gifts from a lobbyist and the lobbyist’s client on his 2003 financial disclosure form. According to the indictment, during the relevant times, Verrusio worked as the policy director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The indictment names Todd Boulanger and James Hirni, who were lobbyists working for an equipment rental company interested in inserting three amendments into a Federal Highway Bill, as Verrusio’s co-conspirators. The indictment also names Trevor Blackann, who worked as a legislative assistant to a U.S. senator, as a co-conspirator. According to the indictment, the committee for which Verrusio worked had responsibility for the Federal Highway Bill in the House of Representatives. Similarly, the indictment states that the senator for whom Blackann worked served on a committee with responsibility for the Federal Highway Bill in the Senate. According to the indictment, in October 2003, Verrusio and Blackann accepted an all-expenses-paid trip to Game One of the 2003 Baseball World Series from Hirni, the equipment rental company that was his client, and a ”