Sandusky to participate in appeal of Pa. pension revocation by video from prison

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Jerry Sandusky will take part early next month in his first public proceeding — albeit via video link — since he was sentenced to decades in prison for child molestation.

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7 into whether a Pennsylvania agency should have stripped the former Penn State assistant football coach of the benefits he had been getting through the state’s pension system.

A spokeswoman for the State Employees’ Retirement System said Thursday that plans are for Sandusky to participate in the three-day hearing through a video connection to the state prison where he is confined.

Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, lost his $4,900-a-month pension last year on the day he was sentenced to 30 to 60 years. A hearing examiner will recommend to the system’s board about whether the pension forfeiture should remain in place.

The retirement system said Sandusky’s convictions for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault met the standards of the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act, and stopped retirement payments immediately.

Penn State employees can enrol in the system, although they are not state employees. Penn State is considered “state-related,” along with Temple, Lincoln and Pitt.

Sandusky’s lawyer has said he received only six payments from the university between 2000 and 2008.