STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (AP) ― A 19-year-old man has filed a complaint with state police alleging he was sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky after the former coach gave him liquor on the Penn State campus in 2004, the accuser’s lawyer said Tuesday.
Charles Schmidt said the client, whom he did not identify, went to his law firm about three weeks ago, after Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
“He suffered one incident of abuse, to use the legal term ― involuntary deviate sexual intercourse ― allegedly at the hands of Mr. Sandusky,” Schmidt said. “That occurred on the Penn State campus, we believe in the area of the football facilities.”
Sandusky’s lawyer, Joseph Amendola, said he was unfamiliar with the allegations Schmidt was making.
The new claim came the day a lawyer for another young man who accused Sandusky of sexual abuse said he expects his client and at least five other accusers to testify at a preliminary hearing next week.
The lawyer said he has information that the six young men whose testimony before a grand jury contributed to a report detailing allegations against Sandusky will be called to testify next Tuesday. The attorney spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he said he is trying to ensure his client’s identity isn’t revealed publicly.
Sandusky is charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse, and prosecutors allege he met his victims through a charity he founded in 1977 to help at-risk children, The Second Mile. Sandusky, 67, denies being a pedophile and has vowed to fight the charges. In interviews with NBC and The New York Times, he has said he showered and horsed around with boys but never sexually abused them.
The existence of Schmidt’s client was first reported by WHP-TV in Harrisburg.
Schmidt told the AP that his client was 12 years old, dealing with the death of his mother and suffering emotional issues at the time of the campus incident. The lawyer said the two met through The Second Mile and his client claims Sandusky gave him liquor while in the office on campus. The grand jury report did not allege any instances of Sandusky giving boys alcohol.
Schmidt said his law firm is conducting its own investigation into the client’s claims.
“We hope to have it wrapped up within another week. We believe him to be credible,” Schmidt said. “Everything that we’ve been able to unearth since has corroborated what he told us, but we’ll continue to do our due diligence.”