(MD) Commissioner Admits to Online Sex Chats

Commissioner Admits to Online Sex Chats

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 7, 2006; Page B09

A Maryland Public Service Commission member acknowledged yesterday that he used his state computer to engage in sexual conversations with an alleged prostitute but said he never committed a criminal act.

Charles R. Boutin issued a statement last night expressing his shame and sorrow for his conduct, but he said in a strikingly candid news release that his actions were part of an effort to deal with his impotency after surgery for bladder cancer.

"I committed no criminal act," said Boutin, appointed to the prominent state post by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) last year after seven years as a Republican delegate from Harford County. "I acknowledge, however, that my judgment was morally wrong and I am ashamed and sorry."

*snip*

During his years in Annapolis, Boutin was a chief sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the state from recognizing same-sex marriages. Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) called it "ironic that someone who professed to protect the sanctity of marriage was violating the sanctity of his own marriage."

*more*

A Maryland Public Service Commission member acknowledged yesterday that he used his state computer to engage in sexual conversations with an alleged prostitute but said he never committed a criminal act.