Sandusky Again Claims Innocence On Sentencing Eve

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky again denied he committed the "alleged disgusting acts" and said his wife has been his only sex partner in a statement Monday evening, hours before he is expected to get life in prison for molesting 10 boys over 15 years.

Nearly four months after he was convicted of crimes that shocked college athletics and riveted national attention on child sexual abuse, Sandusky, 68, could potentially receive up to 373 years in prison for 45 counts of child sexual abuse when sentenced by Judge John Cleland in Bellefonte, Pa., Tuesday.

Sandusky, 68, in a taped statement carried by Penn State's student radio station, said he was wrongly convicted, Reuters reported.

"Why didn't we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial? Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations?" Sandusky said in the statement, which his lawyer verified.

"What's the purpose? Maybe (the case) will help others; some vulnerable children who could be abused, might not be because of all the publicity."

He added, "In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts. My wife has been my only sex partner. That was after marriage."

The sentencing process is expected to move fairly quickly as Cleland is known for running a fast-paced court, according to a Reuters report, which cites Karl Rominger, a Sandusky lawyer.

"I don't see that the sentencing will take more than several hours at the most, but it all depends," he said.

Attorney Joe Amendola told reporters earlier Monday that the former Penn State assistant football coach plans to assert his innocence during the sentencing hearing. Amendola said his client has been working on a statement that he plans to read in court.

Rominger and Amendola have said they plan to appeal. They suggested they did not have enough time to prepare for the high-profile case.

Experts familiar with the case tell Reuters that Cleland likely would focus on two factors in sentencing - the severity of the crimes and Sandusky's background, both good and bad.

"What would normally be a defendant's strongest argument for leniency -- a lifetime of good works -- may be used to justify a harsh sentence for Sandusky because he betrayed the trust of the kids he served," Daniel Filler, a law professor at Philadelphia's Drexel University wrote in an email to the news wire.

Before sentencing, the state's Sexual Offenders Assessment Board will report to Cleland on its evaluation of whether Sandusky is a sexually violent predator. The designation would put him under reporting requirements if he were ever to be released from prison on probation.

Sandusky's abuse ranged from fondling to anal and oral sex, including the rape of a boy in a football shower in 2001.

Previous reports indicate that two of Sandusky's victims would also speak at the hearing on the topic of impact on the victims.

A 28-year-old man, designated as Victim 4 in court documents, who said Sandusky lavished him with gifts and trips to football bowl games while abusing him during the 1990s, is one of the victims set to speak.

The second is Victim 5, now 23, whom Sandusky molested in a Pennsylvania State University shower in 2001, the newspaper said.

At least three of Sandusky's victims are reportedly suing the university. Former assistant coach Mike McQueary, a witness to the 2001 incident who lost his job after he testified about it, sued Penn State last week for more than $8 million.

Sandusky is being held in isolation for his protection although he has asked several times unsuccessfully to be placed with the jail's general population, his attorney said.