A federal judge in New York sentenced former congressman Anthony Weiner to 21 months in prison on Monday for sexting with an underage girl—a scandal many believe influenced the outcome of the 2016 election.
Weiner pled guilty in May to sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl for several months in 2016, after the minor got in touch with Weiner in January of that year via Twitter. “I accept full responsibility for my conduct,” he told the court in May. “I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,“ he added. Since May, the politician has received treatment for sex addiction.
The investigation into Weiner’s actions turned up new evidence in the Clinton email probe—messages forwarded by Weiner’s wife and top Clinton aide Huma Abedin—prompting the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director, James Comey, to announce he was re-opening the investigation into the candidate in late October.
Weiner’s sentence included a $10,000 fine and three years supervised release, and the judge ordered him to surrender himself to prison on November 6th.
