Anthony Weiner, the former Democratic Congressman, has been sentenced to jail after sexting a minor. The sentence was given at a court in Manhattan today, four months after the politician pleaded guilty to sending indecent pictures to an underage girl. In addition to his time in jail, he will also be on supervised release for three years.
Attorney Joon Kim said in a statement ‘Anthony Weiner, a former Congressman and candidate for Mayor, asked a girl who he knew to be 15 years old to display her naked body and engage in sexually explicit behavior for him online.’ He added ‘Justice demands that this type of conduct be prosecuted and punished with time in prison. Today, Anthony Weiner received a just sentence that was appropriate for his crime.’
Weiner was still wearing his wedding ring, that is despite the fact that he and his wife split following the incident which occurred earlier this year. According to NBC News, the former politician was sobbing throughout the hearing and when he was sentenced. He said that when he committed the crime he was at ‘rock bottom’ and admitted that he was a ‘sick man’ and an ‘addict.’ However, he did accept complete responsibility for his crime.
The Judge said that this was a serious crime and deserved to be prosecuted as such. They also described it as a strong compulsion that Weiner could evidently not resist.