Report: Congressional staffer took part in filming of sexually explicit video in Senate hearing room

Criminal charges may be in the offing for someone said to have recently worked as a congressional staff member and who is also accused of filming a sexually explicit video inside a government hearing room, as Fox News reports.

The issue arose when Capitol Police were alerted to a video -- amateur in nature -- depicting very grapshic sexual activity involving two men, reported to have taken place in Hart Senate Office Building room 216.

Video emerges

Sources indicated that the footage went public after it was shared in an online group intended for homosexual men working in the political world.

As Politico noted, the hearing room in question has a well-known history of hosting such high-profile events as Supreme Court nomination hearings, meetings of the 9/11 Commission, and key congressional testimony.

It did not take long before rumors began swirling on social media that the government staffer involved in producing the video was an employee of Maryland Democrat. Sen. Ben Cardin's staff.

Though Cardin's office did quickly reveal that an aide to the lawmaker had indeed been let go from his job, it did not confirm that the staffer concerned had taken part in filming the shocking video.

A statement from Cardin's office said simply, “We will have no further comment on this personnel matter.”

Staffer steps forward

On Friday evening, the dismissed staffer, Aidan Maese-Czeropski, issued a statement of his own, which did not exactly dispel rumors of his involvement in the video, but did attempt to deflect harsh judgment for what occurred.

“This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda,” he stated, in an apparent bid for sympathy.

Maese-Czeropski's statement added, “While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgment, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace.”

“Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated, and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters,” the former staffer declared.

Potential punishment awaits

According to legal commentator Jonathan Turley, the young may could be facing significant criminal charges if he is definitively linked to the incident, saying that “the question is whether this unofficial use [of the Senate hearing room] would constitute trespass.”

Turley went on, “It also uses an official area for personal purposes, though it is not clear if there were any commercial benefits garnered from the video found on various sites.”

Whether under a D.C. code provision prohibiting lewd indecent, or obscene acts, or a federal law prohibiting the use of government property for personal purposes, Turley says that the consequences for Maese-Czeropski could prove substantial, and the Capitol Police probe of what occurred remains ongoing.