Sandusky to receive his $59,000 annual pension
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, leaves court in handcuffs after being convicted in his child sex abuse trial at the Centre County Courthouse on June 22, 2012 in Bellefonte, Pa.
Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse, will most likely be allowed to keep his $59,000 pension from the state, the Tribune Review reported.
None of the 45 crimes that led to Sandusky's conviction require a forfeiture of pension, the Tribune reported, though "a pension system document says forfeiture can also occur when a school employee commits certain sex offenses against a student," CBS News reported.
Sandusky retired from his position as Penn State's defensive coordinator after the 1999 season and was rewarded a lump-sum pension payment of $148,271 from the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), the Washington Post reported. The convicted sex offender has been taking the remainder of his pension in payments of almost $5,000 a month.
More from GlobalPost: Paterno's Penn State pension $13.4 million
"That's quite a handsome reward for someone who abused his power and abused these children," Democratic Philadelphia Senator Larry Farnese, told the Tribune, adding that Sandusky is being rewarded by taxpayers for "heinous acts of violence."
The Pennsylvania legislature is currently reviewing several bills that would expand the list of crimes that allow for a pension to be revoked, including one that was introduced by Farnese, according to CBS News and the Tribune.
But Pennsylvania attorney Jim Kutz told ABC News that it may be difficult to apply a future law to Sandusky.
"There are times when the General Assembly has passed bills, there are efforts to apply retroactively. Sometimes with success," said Kutz. "But, in the criminal setting, it is an uphill battle to apply conduct retroactively."
“I am a Penn Stater and I am a citizen of Pennsylvania, and we are all morally outraged about this case and what happened to those kids,” Nicholas Maiale, chairman of SERS, told the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Maiale said he will seek a legal review of the options the board has regarding Sandusky's pension.
More from GlobalPost: Matt Sandusky police tapes detail alleged sex abuse by father, Jerry (VIDEO)
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?