Bachmann Aide Busted in Office Theft

Javier Sanchez fired following surveillance footage evidence

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 16, 2013 9:12 AM CDT

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Bachmann Aide Busted in Office Theft — This June 11, 2013 file photo shows Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., arriving with staff member Javier Sanchez on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, file)

An aide to Michele Bachmann has been arrested for allegedly stealing from her congressional office; now Javier Sanchez has been fired, NBC4 reports. After thefts were reported in February and March, police laid a trap for the perpetrator: They put a pair of envelopes, one labeled "Petty Cash" and the other "Birthday Money," in the office with a hidden camera. Footage revealed a man taking one of the envelopes on June 14; Sanchez's boss says it was the aide. Sanchez denies the theft charges. "I may have taken a quarter once in a while, but I would pay it back," he told police, according to an affidavit. (Read more Michele Bachmann stories.)