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Fresh charges filed against ex-Penn State officials in Sandusky case
[Updated at 1:01 p.m. ET] New charges have been filed against three former Penn State officials in the Jerry Sandusky child rape scandal, accused of having "used their positions to conceal and cover up for years the activities of a known child predator," Pennsylvania's attorney general said Thursday.
Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier - charged for the first time in the case - and former Athletic Director Tim Curley and ex-Vice President Gary Schultz now face the same five charges: obstruction of justice, perjury, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of children and failure to report allegations of child abuse.
"(The three defendants) worked to actively conceal the truth with total disregard to the children who were victims in this case,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda L. Kelly told reporters Thursday.
The scandal, which erupted nearly a year ago, led to the firing of Spanier and longtime head football coach Joe Paterno, who died in January. Curley and Schultz had been charged with some of the counts - perjury and failure to report allegations of abuse - previously; both pleaded not guilty at the time.
Sandusky, the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach, was convicted in June of sexually abusing 10 boys and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison in October.
Jurors determined that Sandusky, who retired from Penn State in 1999, used his access to university facilities and his foundation for underprivileged youths to abuse the boys sexually. During the trial, a 23-year-old man identified as Victim No. 4 testified that he was 13 when Sandusky sexually abused him in a university shower.
Less than a month after Sandusky's conviction, former FBI Director Louis Freeh released his university-funded report that said Paterno, Spanier, Curley and Schultz took part in a cover-up to avoid bad publicity.
Attorneys for Spanier blasted the review, calling it a "blundering, indefensible indictment" and "a flat-out distortion of facts" that was "infused with bias and innuendo."
Spanier told The New Yorker magazine's Jeffrey Toobin in August that he had no recollection of e-mails he is accused of exchanging with top university officials over two specific allegations of abuse involving Sandusky: one in 1998 and another in 2001.
"I am aware, as I said in my letter to the board of trustees, that I was apparently copied on two e-mails," Spanier told Toobin. "I didn't reply to them. The first e-mail that I saw didn't mention anybody's name. It simply said something to the effect of 'The employee will be interviewed tomorrow,' something like that, no name mentioned. Then, about five weeks later, I think it was, I was copied on another e-mail that said, 'The interview has been completed, the investigation has been completed, nothing was found, Jerry felt badly that the kid might have felt badly.' "
Spanier, Curley and Schultz are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Friday, Kelly said.
Asked if Paterno would have faced the same charges if he were alive, Kelly said: "Mr. Paterno is deceased. The defendants charged in this case are Curley, Schultz and Spanier. I'm not going to speculate or comment on Mr. Paterno’s relationship to this investigation. Mr. Paterno is dead, and that’s the end of it."
Sandusky is seeking a new trial. For more on Thursday's developments, click here.
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this isn't the only university with issues.
Best that this gets public scrutiny so we can at least get information about what happened.
Covering this up to protect the football program is hideous beyond words. i've been a penn state football fan for over 50 years. Football vs the well-being of even one child? give me a break.
Had McQueary or Paterno called the police in 2001, I doubt Penn State football would have been scandalized.Most likely, the same DA and PA Dept. of Public Welfare who covered up for Sandusky in 1998 would have done so again.
Even if the scandal made the headlines, it would have been about the DA and PA Dept.of Public Welfare letting him off in 1998.
It wasn't about protecting the football program because Sandusky was retired. It was more about protecting Sandusky and Second Mile from potentially false allegations.
Great news. Now get convictions. I bet future leaders will think twice about not doing the right thing and covering up if these guys rot in jail.
Because a University employee was jailed for abusing children, we need to stop the University from playing football??
Do we stop them from playing basketball, baseball and all other sports also?
Maybe we should close the University?
Maybe we should close the entire Pennslyvania government? Oh wait, how about we close the US government as well.
After all, a University employee was jailed for abusing children. Maybe we should all just end our lives to make some of these lunatics on here happy.
If I own a candy store and my kiddie customers are getting repeatedly punched in the face by one of my employees, then yes – I need to lose my candy store. And yes, all of my employees will lose their jobs. And some who love my candy will be sad to see me go. But, most people will applaud.
Add 'Drama Queen' to your name. Oh yeah, get a life too.
Excellent point(s). We are a 'knee-jerk' culture. People in this country, including all levels of government, are inclined to over-react to a situation. I wonder why that is. They seem to take comfort in that
Turning Texas Blue – yes, that makes a lot of sense! Now watch it happen to you and whatever school you attended, and see how you feel about it. But you are so smart and awesome, so I'm sure somehow it wouldn't apply to you or blah, blah, blah..
Yes, maybe we should put a stop to the semi-pro sports industry that has consumed this university. News flash! A university is supposed to be a place of higher learning! Wouldn't it be a shame if this school had to focus on teaching students to think instead of marketing a sports team.
And this supposedly fine moral upright example of a university leader doesn't remember emails that claimed his university facilities were being used to assault children?? He didn't pick up the phone, demand details, ask who the child was or if anyone interviewed the child or the child's parents? He never even asked for names. He didn't want to know.
Poor, poor university football industry.
Oh don't tell me you don't like a good witch hunt! Everybddy can join in the fun! Remember that kid in high school who was mean to you? As long as he went to PSU later on in life he is a dirty criminal! Your evil boss? He was a Penn State grad too. Just let that out around the office and bam he is a sick child hating monster too! See witch hunts are fun!
Would this case have turned out differently if the victims were girls instead of boys?
Absoklutely! They would have banned field hockey and women's volleyball!
I think they're being punished for not doing anything about the reports that there was a possible pedophile involved in their football program. If they had investigated and canned the pervert none of this would be happening now. Turning a blind eye was also participating in this crime. The sad reality is they turned a blind eye for strictly monetary purposes. Sanducky is not a God. He could have been replaced and someone else could have coached that team just as well.
Covering up the email and not properly acting on the complaint is pretty serious if you ask me. The fact they did it twice, makes it exponentially worse.
This is ridiculous. They will not stop until Penn State is destroyed and that my friends is wrong. They want to punish the leaders fine. They want to punish the coaches fine. But to bring down the entire school and effect the kids that are going there now not fine. All the people going there now are trying to get an education and maybe they are getting by on a scholarship for playing football or any other sport. What the NCAA did is wrong as far as limiting the programs. The school DID NOTHING WRONG AND NEITHER DID THE KIDS. It was Sandusky stop taking the focus away from that.
You're the one who's ridiculous. Explain to everyone how the students are being punished? By having a losing football record? Fool.
I pity the foo.
It's not wrong,
and another thing----you are not my friend.
am too
I hope all three go to prison and meet Bubba!
Sounds like the voice of experience.
Why are they going after these guys and not leaders of the Catholic church that were involved in covering up those molestations.
You never considered that some people might sit there, and switch places with their friends for days/times when they had class? Sounds like an uncomfortable way to spend your day to me, but how would that impact academics again? Have you considered toning down the self-righteousness?
Whoops, meant this in response to northernCA!
Please learn some grammar. You sure didn't learn much there, did you?
Where is that grammatical error there? In my rapid fire response, perhaps a misplaced comma? I received an excellent education there, and I don't need validation from you. I hope you are satisfied with yourself.
He should also learn to spell. Do they teach correct spelling in Pennsylvania?
Teacher – why won't you point out the error in spelling? I feel sorry for anyone who was subjected to the classroom of such a petty man/woman. I am not a he, by the way. I did learn to spell in PA, where I attended both Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania. Did you go to an Ivy League school too?
Paterno was lucky to get lung cancer and die.
Sounds like the voice of experience.
To me the bottom line is that local and state law enforcement failed to investigate after Victim 1 claimed abuse..
At today's news conference the Attorney General and Head of the State Police stated the
y could not persue the case because there was only one complaint.. Come-on, many child abuse cases are tried with only one victim involved. So, based on this information it's my opinion the justice and legal system are responsible and thus they are trying to focus the issues on Penn State.