Recently, members of Parliament became victims of a theft orchestrated by someone they had placed their trust in for years.
On Tuesday, Courtney Hruska, a 40-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of wire fraud. She could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison during a hearing set for June 23, according to the Department of Justice.
It’s reported that Hruska stole $22,865.07 from individuals referred to as “Members of the United States House of Representatives” in a press release. Hruska had worked for the lawmaker from 2015 until early 2022 in various roles, including office scheduler and administrative director.
Throughout her tenure, she was employed by Ohio Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, though it’s unclear if she ever served any other lawmakers. According to a statement of facts, the victim maintained a personal bank account in Brooklyn, Ohio.
Between August 2023 and July 2024, even after leaving Kaptur’s office, Hruska accessed the victim’s bank account details to pay her own credit card bills several times. It’s revealed that she had been given the victim’s account information for specific purchases under official work duties, but prosecutors believe she retained this information unlawfully.
Moreover, Hruska left her job after obtaining another government position, which was supposedly supported by the victim who helped her secure a role at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA did not provide comments when approached for clarification. The victim, who managed their personal assets manually, was not particularly tech-savvy, something Hruska admitted, likely knowing this would lessen the chance of detection for the fraudulent transfers.
The theft came to light in 2024 when the victim noticed missing funds after a check bounced. As the investigation unfolded, Hruska erroneously claimed that “dark web hackers” were responsible for the transactions linked to her credit card bills. Unfortunately, due to the extended period before the theft was discovered, the victims managed to retrieve only about 9% of what was stolen, which amounts to just under $2,000.
So far, Kaptur’s office has not commented on the situation involving former staff members. Attempts to reach out for comments from various news agencies have gone unanswered.
