WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, D-Mich., said he has reimbursed the taxpayers for his son's use of his government-leased car.
Conyers said in Washington Wednesday he paid $5,682 to the U.S. Treasury to cover any possible period during which his son, John Conyers III, could have driven the congressman's federally leased 2010 Cadillac Escalade hybrid, the Detroit Free Press reported.
On Thanksgiving Day, Conyers's son reported to police the theft of $27,000 worth of concert tickets and two computers from the car while it was parked in downtown Detroit. The Free Press said it then discovered court records that he got a speeding ticket in September while driving the same car.
Conyers said his son's use of the car was inappropriate, the Free Press reported. He said, "There is no excuse for the non-official use of a government vehicle."
The reimbursement amount was based on the "per diem cost of the vehicle for every day my son could conceivably have had access to the vehicle," Conyers said.
Although he did not indicate how the reimbursement was calculated, the newspaper said the amount equals approximately 4 1/2 months of the lease price.
"It is unlikely that his usage was anywhere near this high, but, in an abundance of caution, I want to be sure that there is no cost to the taxpayers whatsoever for any possible non-official use of the car," Conyers said.
None of the items his son reported stolen from the car include sensitive information or government property, Conyers said.
