NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner wept on Friday as he pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage girl, capping a “sexting” scandal that played a role in last year’s U.S. presidential election during its waning days.

Wearing a navy suit, maroon tie and his wedding band, a tearful Weiner, 52, described his conduct before U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York City.

“I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” Weiner said, apologizing to the 15-year-old girl to whom he sent inappropriate images and messages last year.

Hours after the court hearing, his wife Huma Abedin, a senior aide to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, filed for divorce in a Manhattan court, according to the New York Post.

A lawyer for Abedin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The charge of transferring obscene material to a minor carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but Weiner is likely to get less when sentenced on Sept. 8. As part of his plea agreement, federal prosecutors said they would consider a term between 21 months and 27 months “fair and appropriate.”

The plea deal appeared to seal the demise of a once-promising political career derailed by a series of scandals, stemming from what Weiner described in court as a compulsive need to seek sexual attention from women on social media.

The investigation into his exchanges with the teenage girl also roiled the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign days before Election Day.

While searching Weiner’s laptop, federal agents found a batch of emails from his wife. As a result, James Comey, then director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced in late October that the agency was reviewing the messages to determine whether to reopen its investigation into Clinton’s handling of official correspondence.

Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner exits U.S. Federal Court, after pleading guilty to one count of sending obscene messages to a minor, ending an investigation into a "sexting" scandal that played a role in last year's U.S. presidential election, in New York City, U.S., May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Clinton, who was leading in national polls at the time, has blamed her loss to Republican Donald Trump in part on Comey’s announcement, even though the director said two days before the election in November that the review had uncovered no new evidence.

Abedin had announced her separation from Weiner last summer after the latest round of explicit messages emerged, including an image of Weiner’s crotch as he lay in bed with their young son.

‘DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSES’

The controversy over Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state dogged her throughout the campaign. Trump accused Clinton of endangering national security by exposing classified information to potential hacking.

In testimony to Congress two weeks ago, Comey said he felt “mildly nauseous” at the suggestion his actions may have swayed the election, but added that he had no regrets.

Trump fired Comey days later amid the FBI’s probe into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to defeat Clinton, an allegation the president has denied.

Weiner, who served parts of New York City for 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, resigned in 2011 after an explicit photograph was posted on his Twitter account. He initially claimed his account had been hacked but eventually acknowledged he had sent the image as well as inappropriate messages to several women.

Two years later, he announced a run for New York City mayor but dropped out of the race when more explicit messages became public.

The federal investigation into Weiner came to light last year after the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, published an interview with the North Carolina teen.

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On Friday, Weiner said he has been receiving “intensive” mental health treatment since then.

“These destructive impulses brought great devastation to family and friends, and destroyed my life’s dream of public service,” Weiner said.

In a statement, acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Joon Kim said, “Weiner’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced.”</s>Anthony Weiner shed tears in federal court as he entered a guilty plea for sexting a 15-year-old girl, and agreed to serve prison time, and will also have to register as a sex offender.

The oft-disgraced Congressman appeared before the judge Friday in NYC and was charged with transferring obscene material to a minor. Weiner, who cried and apologized in court, surrendered to the FBI following its investigation.

According to the terms of his plea deal ... Weiner is agreeing to serve 21 to 27 months in prison, surrender his iPhone and pay a fine of up to $350,000. A judge will determine at a later date exactly what his sentence will be.

In court, Weiner admitted his "destructive impulses" had destroyed his life and career. He said he has a sickness "but I do not have an excuse" -- and acknowledged he'd hit "rock bottom." He added he's "committed to making amends to all those I have harmed."

Weiner traded sexually explicit texts with the teen, who lives in North Carolina and did not want to press charges because she felt the texting was consensual.</s>Former congressman Anthony Weiner, whose penchant for sexting strangers online ended his political career and led to an investigation that upended the presidential race, will appear in federal court Friday to plead guilty to charges in connection with his online communications with a 15-year-old girl, officials said.

A law enforcement official said Weiner has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of transferring obscene material to a minor.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the criminal charges had yet to be filed publicly with the court.

Weiner was already in federal custody ahead of the court hearing, which was scheduled for 11 a.m.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan confirmed the court appearance but declined to immediately release additional details about the charges against the Democrat.

The FBI began investigating Weiner in September after the 15-year-old North Carolina girl told a tabloid news site, the Daily Mail, that she and the disgraced former politician had exchanged lewd messages for several months.

She also accused him of asking her to undress on camera.

The investigation led FBI agents to seize his laptop computer, which led to the discovery of a new cache of emails that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had sent to Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife.

In late October, just days before the election, FBI director James Comey stunned the country by announcing that his agency was reopening its closed investigation into Clinton’s handling of State Department business on a private email server so it could analyze the newly discovered correspondence.

That inquiry was brief. Comey announced shortly before the election that the new emails contained nothing to change his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime. But Clinton partly blamed her loss to Republican Donald Trump on Comey’s announcement.

Weiner, who represented New York in Congress from 1999 to 2011, resigned after revelations that he was sending sexually explicit messages to multiple women.

He ran for New York City mayor in 2013 and was leading several polls until it was revealed he had continued his questionable behaviour.

His failed mayoral bid is the subject of the documentary Weiner.</s>Former congressman Anthony Weiner, whose penchant for sexting strangers online ended his political career and led to an investigation that upended the presidential race, will appear in federal court Friday to plead guilty to charges in connection with his online communications with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, officials said. A law enforcement official said Weiner has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of transferring obscene material to a minor.

Start the conversation, or Read more at LA Daily News.</s>Huma Abedin has filed for divorce from former Rep. Anthony Weiner, a move she made prior to Weiner pleading guilty Friday to transferring obscene material to a minor, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Abedin, a top aide to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was not present at Friday’s hearing.

A message left with a representative for Abedin seeking comment Friday morning was not returned.

At the hearing Friday, Weiner accepted responsibility for his conduct. “I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” he said through pauses and bouts of tears in an emotional statement. “I entered intensive treatment, found the courage to take a moral inventory of my defects, and began a program of recovery and mental health treatment that I continue to follow every day.”

As part of the plea agreement, Weiner, 52, will register as a sex offender and also will have to forfeit his iPhone, surrender his passport and continue mental health treatment. He is also barred from having any contact with the minor.

“Today, former Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted and pled guilty to sending sexually explicit images and directions to engage in sexual conduct to a girl he knew to be 15 years old,” acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim of the Southern District of New York said in a statement. “Weiner’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced.”

The government recommended between 21 and 27 months imprisonment, which Weiner’s counsel agreed to, though ultimately it is up to a judge to decide.</s>NEW YORK — Former Rep. Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty Friday to transferring obscene material to a minor, according to the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.

As part of the plea agreement, he will have to comply with the Sex Offender Registry and Notification Act.

“Today, former Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted and pled guilty to sending sexually explicit images and directions to engage in sexual conduct to a girl he knew to be 15 years old,” acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement. “Weiner’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced.”

Weiner, 52, was released on bail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for September 8, the release said.

David Schaefer, a spokesman for the law firm Covington & Burling, whose attorney, Arlo Devlin-Brown, is representing Weiner, said the former congressman’s lawyer will comment later Friday.

CNN, citing law enforcement officials, reported last September that prosecutors in the office of then-US Attorney Preet Bharara issued a subpoena for Weiner’s cell phone and other records as part of an investigation into alleged “sexting” with a purportedly underage girl.

The allegations first surfaced in the Daily Mail.

The online sexting relationship allegedly went on for months between Weiner and a girl claiming to be just 15. The Daily Mail reported she said he sent her numerous photos, one of him in a pool and at least one bare-chested.

The outlet reported that the girl said she reached out to Weiner last January on Twitter.

In a statement to CNN at the time, Weiner neither confirmed or denied sending the texts.

“I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgment about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent. I am filled with regret and heartbroken for those I have hurt,” he said.

Weiner continued: “While I have provided the Daily Mail with information showing that I have likely been the subject of a hoax, I have no one to blame but me for putting myself in this position. I am sorry.”

CNN was unable to confirm at the time that it was a hoax.

Weiner left Congress in June 2011 when sexually-charged, sometimes explicit, texts with women other than his wife first emerged. His social media habits continued after leaving Congress and contributed to his poor showing with his 2013 New York City mayoral campaign, a race in which he had once been a leading contender.

Weiner is estranged from Huma Abedin, a top aide to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. A message left with a representative for Abedin seeking comment Friday morning was not immediately returned.</s>Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose penchant for sexting strangers online ended his political career and led to an investigation that upended the presidential race, pleaded guilty Friday to criminal charges in connection with his online communications with a 15-year-old girl.

Weiner pleaded guilty to a charge of transmitting sexual material to a minor and could get years in prison. He agreed not to appeal any sentence between 21 and 27 months in prison. He was already in federal custody ahead of the court hearing.

The judge told him he would have to register as a sex offender.

The FBI began investigating Weiner in September after the 15-year-old North Carolina girl told a tabloid news site, the Daily Mail, that she and the disgraced former politician had exchanged lewd messages for several months.

She also accused him of asking her to undress on camera.

The investigation led FBI agents to seize his laptop computer, which led to the discovery of a new cache of emails that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had sent to Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife.

In late October, just days before the election, FBI Director James Comey stunned the country by announcing that his agency was reopening its closed investigation into Clinton’s handling of State Department business on a private email server so it could analyze the newly discovered correspondence.

That inquiry was brief. Comey announced shortly before the election that the new emails contained nothing to change his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime. But Clinton partly blamed her loss to Republican Donald Trump on Comey’s announcement.

Weiner, who represented New York in Congress from 1999 to 2011, resigned after revelations that he was sending sexually explicit messages to multiple women.

He ran for New York City mayor in 2013 and was leading several polls until it was revealed he had continued his questionable behaviour.

His failed mayoral bid was the subject of the documentary “Weiner.”</s>Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty Friday in New York to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor.The FBI began investigating Weiner in September after a 15-year-old North Carolina girl told a tabloid news site that she and the disgraced former politician had exchanged lewd messages for several months.She also accused him of asking her to undress on camera.Weiner tearfully admitted to a federal judge he sent the material to the girl he knew to be 15. He agreed to serve 21-27 months in prison but will be released on a $150,000 bond before he is sentenced September 8.Weiner, in an emotional and halting speech that required frequent pauses for water, said he yielded to "destructive impulses" and knew his conduct was "as morally wrong as it was unlawful."Weiner's brother was the only family in court to watch the former congressman say he "hit bottom" and began therapy. "I have a sickness," he said "but I do not have an excuse."Weiner agreed to surrender his iPhone as part of the plea agreement and he must register as a sex offender.The investigation of his laptop led to the discovery of a cache of emails from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to her aide Huma Abedin, Weiner's wife.In October, just days before the election, FBI director James Comey stunned the country by announcing that his agency was reopening its closed investigation into Clinton's handling of State Department business on a private email server so it could analyze the newly discovered correspondence.That inquiry was brief. Comey announced shortly before the election that the new emails contained nothing to change his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime. But Clinton partly blamed her election loss to Republican Donald Trump on Comey's announcement.</s>Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) on Friday pleaded guilty to sending obscene material to an underage girl.

“I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” he said, according to The New York Daily News.

“I apologize to everyone I have hurt,” Weiner added in his admission to the court. “I apologize to the teenage girl, whom I mistreated so badly.”

The Daily News reported that Weiner cried as he read a four-paragraph statement at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse.

Prosecutors said they would ask for 21 months to 27 months in prison for Weiner once his plea is entered. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Court documents indicated the plea deal was finalized on May 10, according to the Daily News.

Weiner, 52, was facing a single charge of transmitting obscene material to a minor. The charge carried a potential 10-year prison term.

“I knew this was as morally wrong as it was unlawful,” said Weiner, whose sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8.

“I engaged in obscene communications with this teenager, including sharing explicit images and encouraging her to engage in sexually explicit conduct, just as I had done and continued to do with adult women.”

Investigators say Weiner, then 51, began exchanging illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina in January 2016. Weiner’s plea indicated the conducted occurred from that January and March.

The investigation into Weiner has been blamed in part for Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham ClintonTrump renominates 2 highest military officers 'West Wing' press secretary thinks Spicer should 'just quit' Clinton 'burst out laughing' at footage of Trump debate prep MORE’s loss in the 2016 presidential election to President Trump. The FBI announced in October it was renewing its investigation into Clinton's handling of classified material after Clinton emails were found on Weiner's laptop in the course of a separate investigation.

Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Clinton.</s>Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty Friday to criminal charges following revelations the former Democratic congressman exchanged sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old girl.

“I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse,” Weiner told the court during his plea Friday. Though Weiner has not yet been sentenced, the charge carries between zero to 10 years in prison, and he agreed not to appeal any sentence between 21 to 27 months. The judge accepted the plea, and informed Weiner that he would have to register as a sex offender.

The plea comes eight months after the British tabloid Daily Mail published an interview with the high-school sophomore from North Carolina, who detailed months of conversations between her and Weiner, including suggestive texts and photos. The minor told the newspaper she would not seek to press charges against the New York congressman because “she believes her relationship with Weiner was consensual,” but agreed to be interviewed “out of concern that Weiner may be sexting with other underage girls.”

The revelation led to Weiner’s separation from his wife, Huma Abedin, who at the time was serving as the top aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (she formally filed for divorce from Weiner on Friday). It also prompted the launch of a formal investigation into the matter, during which the FBI seized Weiner’s electronic devices, including a laptop computer that contained several emails to Abedin. The discovery led to an announcement by then-FBI Director James Comey in late October that bureau would conduct a new investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email serves as secretary of state. The FBI’s investigation did not result in any charges, though Clinton has since claimed the move contributed to her failed presidential bid.

Though Weiner originally denied the allegations, claiming he had “likely been the subject of a hoax,” he also apologized for having “repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent.” Indeed, this is not the first sexting scandal that has embroiled Weiner’s political career. He resigned from Congress in 2011 after first denying, then admitting, to sending explicit photos to women on Facebook and Twitter. He faced another sexting scandal during his bid for New York mayor in 2013, during which it was revealed he had continued to send explicit photos and texts using the pseudonym “Carlos Danger.”
Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner pleads guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl.