Carson to name son of close friend as his deputy chief of staff

The son of a close friend of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson will be named as HUD’s deputy chief of staff, the department confirmed to CNN.

Alfonso Costa Jr. is the son of Alfonso Costa Sr., a dentist and real estate investor whom Carson once described as “one of my closest, if not my very closest, friend,” the network reported

Alfonso Costa Sr. was convicted of health-care fraud in 2007 and Carson wrote to the judge on his behalf during the sentencing phase, CNN added.

{mosads} “I could literally trust him with all of my earthly possessions and rest assured that I would get all of them back with interest,” Carson wrote to the judge. “To sum it up, next to my wife of 32 years, there is no one on this planet that I trust more than Al Costa.”

Alfonso Costa Jr. is expected to join HUD soon following the departure of deputy chief of staff Deana Bass, one of Carson’s closest advisers.

“Alfonso Costa Jr. is a graduate of Yale, Oxford and Harvard Law,” HUD spokesman Raffi Williams said in a statement to CNN. “If his academic achievements are any indication of success, we are confident he will make significant contributions to the Department. The Secretary looks forward to having him serve as trusted and valued adviser.”

Carson is currently facing a probe from HUD’s inspector general into the involvement of his own family member in the department.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called for an investigation after Carson’s wife, son and daughter-in-law were reportedly involved in a business event and “listening tour” in Baltimore last year.  

The event reportedly featured business figures who were prospective clients of Carson’s son and daughter-in-law.