Story highlights
The subpoena sought e-mails, hard drives and other info, Penn State says
A Feb. 29 deadline is extended due to "the volume" of info requested, it adds
Prosecutors are requesting information on Jerry Sandusky and his charity
The university says it has spent nearly $3.2 million because of the scandal
Penn State is working to provide information in response to a subpoena from a U.S. attorney related to Jerry Sandusky and others who have been caught up in the sexual abuse allegations involving the former football coach, a school spokeswoman said.
Sandusky, a longtime defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions, is already being prosecuted by the Pennsylvania state Attorney General’s Office over allegations that he sexually abused young boys over a 15-year period.
A Penn State spokeswoman said Thursday that the university had received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania requesting information about Sandusky and his charity.
The school elaborated with a statement on its website Friday that Penn State received the subpoena February 2 looking for information about, among others, former university President Graham Spanier as well as Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. The latter two are former school officials who are charged with perjury and failure to report a crime in relation to the Sandusky investigation.
The request also sought “certain information from 1998 to present about Penn State… Jerry Sandusky and the Second Mile Organization, as well as any records of any payments by board of trustees members to the university or to third parties on the university’s behalf,” said the school.
Specifically, Penn State stated that the subpoena asked for information from “employers and staff relating to allegations of misconduct by staff or individuals associated with the university. ” The types of information sought include e-mails, computer histories and the content of hard drives – including those of Schultz, Curley, Spanier and Sandusky.
The original deadline of February 29 to comply with the subpoena has been extended by U.S. Attorney Peter Smith “because of the volume of information requested,” the school said.
“Along with every part of the university, the board of trustees is cooperating fully with the U.S. attorney’s investigation. The victims, the Penn State community and the public deserve to know the facts and see that justice is done,” Penn State said.
State prosecutors have alleged that Sandusky met his accusers through the Second Mile, the youth charity he founded.
He has also been accused of taking one of the alleged victims across state lines to bowl games in Texas and Florida, though it is not immediately clear if those allegations are related to the federal subpoena.
Last November, Smith – the U.S. attorney – said in a statement that he was ready to join the ongoing state investigation surrounding Sandusky, if asked. He added that his office was in contact with the state Attorney General’s office, ready to provide assistance in the investigation and prosecution phases.
The U.S. Department of Education also has been probing “possible violations of a law that requires universities to report annually campus-related crime statistics,” Smith noted then.
Joe Amendola, Sandusky’s attorney, said he has no comment on the latest subpoena. Sandusky, who faces more than 50 counts of child sex abuse, is currently under house arrest as he awaits trial. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Last week, Penn State said it has incurred nearly $3.2 million in combined legal, consultant, and public relation fees pertaining to the Sandusky scandal.
Almost $2.5 million of the fees stem from Penn State’s internal investigation and crisis communications team costs. Roughly $500,000 has been spent on university legal defense services, the university said.
CNN contributor Sara Ganim contributed to this report.