Ex-president Graham Spanier charged in Sandusky scandal

Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier was charged Thursday with perjury, endangering the welfare of children and obstruction for allegedly helping to cover up the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal nearly a year after the former coach was charged.

Authorities also filed new charges against former University Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz and former Athletic Director Tim Curley, accusing them of endangering the welfare of children, obstruction and criminal conspiracy.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said Spanier, Schultz and Curley were engaged in a “conspiracy of silence,” which continued even after the grand jury investigation had begun.

“The grand jury issued a subpoena in December 2010, but pertinent emails and other key evidence were never turned over until April 2012, after these men had left their jobs,” Kelly said.

The grand jury presentment, much like the Freeh report commissioned by the university’s board of trustees, alleges that Spanier, Schultz and Curley knew about alleged incidents involving Sandusky in 1998 and 2001, and exchanged several e-mails, but lied about their knowledge to the grand jury last year. They also allegedly made no attempts to comply with subpoenas from authorities during the investigation.

The presentment also claims that Schultz had a secret file on Sandusky in his office that was removed last November after the initial charges, which was later recovered by authorities. The file allegedly contained detailed, handwritten notes from Schultz about the 1998 allegation.

Sandusky is serving between 30 and 60 years in prison after he was convicted in June of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period.

Schultz and Curley have pleaded not guilty to perjury and failure to report abuse, for which they are scheduled to stand trial in January.