Former NY Sen. Pedro Espada: I Was Corrupt Because I Was Almost Molested

Former NY state Sen. Pedro Espada faces a possible 43 year prison sentence on corruption charges. His lawyer has filed a plea for leniency that includes a claim that Espada was almost molested by a man when he was a child. Via Gothamist:

In a 21-page court filing relating to personal hardships that could be factored in to a more lenient sentence, his lawyer wrote, "He was the second of six children born to his parents and enjoyed a happy childhood until the age of 5, when he was the victim of an attempted sexual assault by a male relative. Mr. Espada is haunted to this day by the terrible memory." Espada told the Post that he was upset that this "revelation" came out. It's unclear what connection this almost-molestation has to stealing almost half a million dollars from tax-payers, but that's up to a judge now. He's set to be sentenced on June 14th, though Espada's been seeking a new trial, accusing the judge of "improperly pressuring the jury to reach its verdict."

RELATED: In a failed bid to be named Majority Leader of an evenly split state Senate, in 2009 Espada attempted to stage a coup and temporarily joined the GOP, effectively preventing a vote on marriage equality at that time. He is just one of six recently former members of the New York Senate who are in or on their way to prison.