Prosecutors are considering bringing child porn charges against disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner over sexually explicit messages he allegedly exchanged with a 15-year-old girl, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Weiner, who resigned from Congress in 2011 after it emerged he’d been sending lewd messages to women online, is under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.
The investigation began last year after reports surfaced that he had exchanged inappropriate messages and photos with the unidentified 15-year-old girl.
Sources told the newspaper that Weiner’s attorneys have been trying to discourage federal prosecutors from bringing charges in favor of a plea deal.
The most serious charge, production of child pornography, carries a 15-year mandatory sentence if convicted. Other charges might include receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, the Wall Street Journal reported.
It is also possible that prosecutors will not bring any charges.
The Daily Mail first reported on Weiner’s alleged messages with the teenager last fall. In response, Weiner said he believed he had been the subject of a hoax, but added: “I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgment about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent.”
He has been the focus of sexting allegations in the past, one that led to his resignation from Congress in 2011 and another that ended his 2013 bid for New York City mayor in 2013.
The Daily Mail also reported that the teen girl didn’t wish to press charges because she believed the relationship was consensual.
It was during an investigation into these alleged messages that the FBI looked at Weiner’s computer and uncovered emails related to the closed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Weiner’s estranged wife is Huma Abedin, Clinton’s top aide.
