Anthony Weiner is a man who has been clowned for many years about his various sex scandals that ultimately cost him a chance at being Mayor of New York. However, he's now going to be spending some time in a place that's far worse than the social media doghouse: prison.
The New York Times is reporting that Weiner has been sentenced to 21 months in jail for exchanging lewd messages with a 15-year-old girl. The incident proved to be catastrophic for the 53-year-old, ending his marriage and leading to a criminal conviction. Weiner pleaded guilty to the sexting-related charges in May of this year. Prior to his sentencing, Weiner tried to soften the blow by addressing the judge and saying that he's accepted responsibility for his past misdeeds.
“I acted not only unlawfully but immorally, and if I had done the right thing, I would not be standing before you today,” he said, crying during his statement. “The prosecutors are skeptical that I have truly changed and I don’t blame them,” he said. “I repeatedly acted in an obviously destructive way when I was caught.” The 15-year-old victim’s story was first published in The Daily Mail about a year ago, which led to a full-on investigation into Weiner's extra curricular activities. Judge Denise L. Cote of Federal District Court in Manhattan labeled the former politician's transgression as “a serious crime that deserves serious punishment.” Though Weiner's lawyers say that he's been receiving effective treatment for sex addiction, Cote wouldn't budge on her tough stance during the sentencing. "The difficulty here is that this is a very strong compulsion,” she added. The third such incident was the last straw, coming after “two very public disclosures and the destruction of his career on two occasions."
During the aforementioned probe, officials from the F.B.I. also discovered many emails on Weiner's laptop that belonged to his then-wife, Huma Abedin, who was holding down the position of senior aide to Hillary Clinton. This revelation led to former F.B.I. director James Comey to spearhead the opening of a new inquiry into Clinton’s treatment of official emails, something she stated is partly responsible for her failed Presidential bid. In addition to the jail time, Weiner must also pay $10,000 in fine money, which he must surrender by November 6th.
“I was a very sick man for a very long time,” he said after the decision had been levied. “I’ve had a disease but I have no excuse,” he continued. “I accept complete and total responsibility for my crime. I was the adult.”