Sandusky sentenced to up to 60 years
Jerry Sandusky’s pleas of innocence went unheard as he was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison this week.
The former Penn State assistant football coach was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse in June stemming from incidents with 10 boys.
On the eve of his Oct. 9 sentencing, Sandusky issued a tape recording in which he claimed his innocence and blamed Penn State, the media and his accusers for tarnishing his name and spreading lies about “these alleged disgusting acts.”
“They can take away my life. They can make me out as a monster. They can treat me as a monster, but they can’t take away my heart,” Sandusky said on the tape.
He continued, “Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations? What’s the purpose? Maybe it will help others, some vulnerable children who could be abused might not be as a result of all the publicity. That would be nice, but I’m not sure.”
Sandusky founded The Second Mile, which helped at-risk children and their parents. Eight boys who belonged to the organization, now grown men, stepped up to testify against Sandusky, accusing him of sexually abusing them when they were children.
Sandusky was sentenced Tuesday before Commonwealth Court Judge John M. Cleland.
Three victims retold stories of Sandusky’s abuse before the sentencing, and Sandusky followed, again denying the accusations.
Sandusky will be transferred to the state prison at Camp Hill, where he will undergo mental and physical health tests. Once assigned to security risk, Sandusky will be moved to a prison where he will serve his sentence.
His attorney vowed to appeal the sentence. He could have received a maximum 400 years in prison.
Local candidates get Log Cabin nod
LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans recently announced their endorsements for U.S. House and Senate for the upcoming election, and the list included two local candidates: U.S. Reps. Michael Fitzpatrick (8th Dist.) and Charles Dent (15th Dist.).
Representatives for Log Cabin Republicans, Fitzpatrick and Dent did not respond to a request for comment.
Both candidates have mixed records on LGBT equality throughout their careers.
In 2006, Dent voted in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman, while Fitzpatrick voted against it.
Last spring, however, Fitzpatrick told the Bucks County Courier Times that “marriage is between a man and a woman. The constitution is clear: This is an issue for the states.”
Dent voted in favor of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which banned open LGBTs from military service.
Dent also voted in favor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Log Cabin has yet to confirm whether they will endorse Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. GOProud, another organization that serves the Republican LGBT community, announced earlier that they endorse the Romney/Ryan ticket.
— Angela Thomas
Former ‘Diva’ sues Resorts
A female impersonator who created a popular Atlantic City drag show has filed suit against the host casino for trademark infringement.
Steven Nisse filed a suit in federal court in New Jersey Sept. 19 against Resorts Casino Hotel and the operators of its “Divas Do AC” show. Nisse was the driving force behind the “Divas in a Man’s World” production, which Resorts hosted until this past summer.
In July, Nisse was terminated from the show and the name of the event was changed.
However, Nisse, who also goes by the last name Andrade, said the new name and logo are too closely based upon that of the former show, which has a federal trademark in Nisse’s name. He said in his filing that the show format is nearly identical to the original product, and includes most of the same performers and acts.
A press representative for Resorts did not respond to a call for comment.
The casino is listed in the suit as DGMB Casino, LLC.
— Jen Colletta
Conshy asks court to bar additional court filings by Schneller
The Conshohocken Borough Council is seeking a court order preventing James D. Schneller from filing additional challenges to its LGBT-inclusive antibias ordinance.
Borough Solicitor Michael J. Savona made the request in an Oct. 4 motion.
“It’s unfair to the borough to have to continually respond to Schneller’s endless stream of frivolous motions,” Savona told PGN.
Schneller is co-founder of Philadelphia Metro Task Force, an anti-LGBT group with about 75 members representing about 20 municipalities in the state.
He has embroiled the borough in litigation related to the ordinance for more than a year.
A Montgomery County judge dismissed Schneller’s initial challenge to the ordinance in March.
But in September, he filed a motion seeking to reopen the case — partly on the basis that borough officials discriminated against him as a Christian when enacting the ordinance.
“We’re hoping a judge will dismiss Schneller’s motion, award us $1,000 in attorneys’ fees and bar Schneller from further pro-se filings in this case,” Savona said.
A judge hadn’t been assigned to address the motions at press time.
In a separate action, the borough is seeking about $18,000 in attorneys’ fees from Schneller due to previous litigation related to the ordinance.
Savona said that request is expected to be heard by an arbitration board.
The ordinance challenged by Schneller grants civil-rights protections to LGBTs and other groups in the areas of housing, employment, public education and public accommodations.
Violators face a fine of $500 — and up to 90 days in jail — for each offense.
Schneller couldn’t be reached for comment.
— Tim Cwiek