Republican Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz was charged with a weapons violation Friday at Virginia’s Washington Dulles International Airport, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) spokesperson told NBC News.
The MWAA spokesperson told the outlet Spartz had been charged under Virginian law that prohibits the possession or transportation of any dangerous weapons “into any air carrier airport terminal.”
Crystal L. Nosal, a spokesperson for the MWAA, confirmed the weapons violations charge to the Daily Caller and wrote that Congresswoman was charged under “18.2-287.01 of the Virginia code.” Violation of the statute is a misdemeanor. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Congress’ Sole Ukrainian-Born Member Victoria Spartz Blasts Zelenskyy, Ukraine Corruption)
A Transportation Security Agency (TSA) spokesperson told Axios that their officers found an unloaded “.380 caliber firearm” during screening in a carry-on bag.
A spokesperson for Spartz told NBC News that the citation was given prior to her international flight for a gathering by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Romania. “Last Friday, Rep. Spartz accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase with no magazine or bullets, which she did not realize was in the pocket of her suitcase, while going through security at Dulles airport,” the spokesperson alleged to the outlet.
Rep. Spartz, first elected to Congress in 2020, is currently seeking re-election to a third term in the office. Spartz is the first and so far only Ukrainian-born citizen to serve in Congress, according to WISH-TV. The TSA can issue a fine as high as $15,000 and revoke PreCheck eligibility for as much as five years for such a violation, Axios reported.
Typically one “can very likely reduce the total amount of the civil penalty” for such a charge, Robert Herron Law, P.C. wrote on their website.
