The strange case of Anthony Weiner has taken yet another shocking turn.
While the consensus amongst legal experts seemed to be that Weiner would be able to avoid jail time by accepting a plea deal and probation, today, the disgraced former congressman was sentenced to 21 months behind bars for exchanging illicit text messages with a minor.
It was around this time last year that news of Weiner “sexting” with a 15-year-old girl went public.
Back in May, Weiner pled guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor and memorably broke down in tears before a judge.
Today, he was back in court to receive a sentence that shocked many.
Prosecutors in the case lobbied hard for prison time, arguing that Weiner’s interactions with the youth go beyond the mere exchange of explicit words.
“Transmitting obscenity to a minor to induce her to engage in sexually explicit conduct by video chat and photo—is far from mere ‘sexting,’” prosecutors wrote.
“Weiner, a grown man, a father, and a former lawmaker, willfully and knowingly asked a 15-year-old girl to display her body and engage in sexually explicit conduct for him online,” they continued.
“Such conduct warrants a meaningful sentence of incarceration.”
Weiner’s downfall began in 2011, when he resigned from Congress after accidentally tweeting a lewd photo that he had apparently intended to send to a woman with whom he was engaged in an affair.
Weiner attempted a political comeback in 2013, running for mayor of New York City in a campaign that was eventually derailed by yet another sexting scandal.
After initially announcing that she had forgiven her husband and hoped to move forward with their marriage, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin filed for divorce from Weiner earlier this year.
Attorneys for Weiner argued that the 53-year-old was a slave to his own compulsive behavior, but no longer presents a threat to others, following several months of intensive therapy.
The judge didn’t see it that way, handing down a sentence only slightly less harsh than the 27 months recommended by prosecutors.
A spokesperson for Weiner’s legal team says they will appeal the sentence.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.