Anthony Weiner was ordered Friday to register himself as a sex offender as the disgraced former Democratic congressman prepares to complete a related prison sentence.
Bronx Supreme Court Judge Raymond Bruce designated Weiner as a Level 1 sex offender during a hearing held in New York, meaning the former seven-term congressman will have to register himself with the state’s Sex Offender Registry for a minimum of 20 years as a result of sending illicit texts to a teenage girl.
The least consequential of three categories, the Level 1 status is reserved for sex criminals considered to be at a “low risk of re-offense” and, unlike the other two tiers, requires them to only provide their current zip code to the registry rather than their full address.
Weiner, 54, was sentenced to nearly two years imprisonment in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor in connection with texting the teen. He is scheduled to be released from a Bronx halfway house in May.
“I was a very sick man for a very long time, but I’m also responsible for the damage I have done,” Weiner said during his sentencing hearing. “I have a disease, but I have no excuse.”
Allegations involving Weiner, including a previous sexting scandal that erupted several years earlier, sidelined the once-rising Democratic star’s political career, including a failed New York City mayoral bid in 2013.
Weiner’s wife, former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, filed for divorce shortly after his arrest in 2017. An attorney for Ms. Abedin, 42, subsequently said that the couple decided to resolve the matter “swiftly and privately” to ensure the proceedings had a minimal effect on their child.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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