Former Rep. Anthony Weiner has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, plus three years of supervised release, for transferring obscene material to a minor. Prosecutors were seeking a two-year sentence. Transferring obscene material to a minor carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
BREAKING: Former Rep. Anthony Weiner sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for sexting teenager; three years supervised release.
— Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) September 25, 2017
Weiner plead guilty to the charge after it was found that he had sent inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old girl who had first contacted him on Twitter. Among other things, Weiner told the high school student that her body was "insane" and sent her various explicit pictures. He was aware of her age, yet continued to contact the teen on various platforms. Weiner sent the girl "thousands" of messages.
In court, Weiner's lawyers argued for a reduced sentence as he never actually attempted to meet the 15-year-old, and he claimed that the girl wanted to write a book about her experience.
During the investigation into Weiner's "relationship" with the high schooler, some of Hillary Clinton's emails were discovered on a laptop, forcing then-FBI Director James Comey to re-open that investigation in late October shortly before the election. Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, was one of Clinton's top aides. Abedin has since filed for divorce.
Weiner was also investigated by child protection agencies when a woman revealed that he had sent her an explicit picture that contained an image of his son.
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