This Time, Anthony Weiner Could Be In Serious Legal Trouble

Image: Rep. Anthony Weiner Admits To Tweeting Lewd Photo, Lying

Less than a month after he was back in the news with another sexting scandal  that led his wife Huma Abedin to file for divorce, former Congressman Anthony Weiner faces what could be some very serious legal problems:

Federal authorities in New York have issued a subpoena for records pertaining to allegations that Anthony D. Weinerexchanged sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old girl, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Mr. Weiner was the subject of an article on Wednesday in The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, that said he had an online correspondence with the girl beginning in January that included suggestive texts and explicit messages sent over social media.

According to The Daily Mail, the girl, who was not identified, said she did not want to press charges “because she believes her relationship with Weiner was consensual.” Still, she and her father agreed to be interviewed out of concern for other underage girls, the publication reported.

It was not clear which records investigators in the office of the United States attorney, Preet Bharara, would subpoena. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department said it was investigating Mr. Weiner but did not elaborate.

Some of the reports that have come out regarding Weiner’s contact with the fifteen year old girl in question have included the allegation that he sent her sexually explicit material, that he induced her into sending him nude or semi-nude pictures of herself and sent himself to her, and that he engaged in a long series of sexually explicit communication with her even after she told him she was fifteen years old. Even if Weiner were to now claim that he didn’t really believe she was underage and assumed the person he was corresponding with was actually an adult roleplaying as a teenager, he could still face serious charges under Federal and state law that could result in him being sentenced to ten years or more in prison.

In any case, this is yet another in a long list of allegations against this guy that seems to make it clear that he’s got a serious problem. 0

FILED UNDER: Crime, Law and the Courts, , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Franklin says:

    Yeah, I read some of those conversations a few days ago. Even as he was acknowledging her age, he said something like, “well I hope nobody gets the wrong impression” … but then he *continues* doing it. Obviously he can’t stop himself.

    Hate to borrow a stock Trump phrase, but it really is sad.

    And yes, there were also suggestions that this was an adult male pretending to be a 15-year-old girl.

  2. Andre Kenji says:

    There are lots of people rotting in Federal Prison for far lesser offenses involving pictures with minors.

  3. Jenos The Deplorable says:

    Now, no one bring up how his (soon to be ex) wife is Hillary Clinton’s closest aide, and that Bill Clinton actually officiated at their wedding, because that would be hateful and sexist and all kinds of other bad stuff.

  4. Gustopher says:

    @Jenos The Deplorable: People bring that up, but they don’t seem to have any point when they bring it up.

    How is it relevant? Please, explain the connection.

    Half of all marriages end in divorce, and many marriages survive infidelity, so if the connection is infidelity or divorce — that’s a connection that connects nearly everyone.

  5. wr says:

    @Gustopher: “that’s a connection that connects nearly everyone.”

    To be fair, you can’t expect Baby Jenos to understand that, since he’s never actually spoken to a woman except to ask if she’d like fries with her entree.

  6. Just 'nutha ig'rant cracker says:

    @Jenos The Deplorable: Stay classy, (and “hold on tight to your dream”).

    Click.

  7. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Jenos The Deplorable: Do you ever actually stop and read the idiocy you…. No, no you don’t.

  8. barbintheboonies says:

    Weiner, Weiner, Weiner Ya got to keep it in your pants and stay away from social media. You F`ed up big time You had it made great job and all and you pissed it all away.