Feather's Resignation Breaks Media Blackout of Porn Perps' Roles in Sandusky Case

Up until today's resignation of Feathers, the media avoided mentioning any of the porn perpetrator's roles in the Sandusky case.

By Ray Blehar

Feathers: Looking at porn while
children were being abused?

Former OAG Supervisory Agent, Randy Feathers, who supervised the Sandusky investigation, resigned his position on the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and parole.  Feathers' resignation letter clearly identified his role in the Sandusky investigation, which up until this point had rarely, if ever, been mentioned by the media.

Until yesterday.

Both PennLive and the Pittsburgh Tribune reported Feathers role in the Sandusky case, however philly.com, the Inquirer, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette continued their media black outs.

Apparently, the media does not want the public to know that OAG officials involved in the Sandusky case were spending time ogling porn, while children were being abused.

Richard Sheetz, who the media referred to as a former OAG official and member of the Lancaster County DA's office, was in the approval chain of the Sandusky grand jury presentment. The press has also neglected to mention his role in the delay in the arrest of Sandusky.

Glenn Parno, referred to in the press as the Deputy Chief Counsel with the Department of Environmental Protection, was also in the approval chain of the Sandusky presentment.

One truly has to wonder why the media would be so unwilling to reveal that those who were exchanging porn emails at work also had a role in the  "inexcusable" delays in bringing Sandusky to justice.

Feathers' Factually Challenged Retirement Letter

None of the aforementioned media outlets bothered to post or link Feathers' retirement letter to their articles,  nor have any challenged Feathers' accusations of Kane (which has been par for the course so far).  Feathers'  factually challenged resignation letter follows (my emphasis added):

HARRISBURG (Oct. 15) –This morning I have submitted my retirement letter to Governor Corbett as a Board Member of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP) effective October 30, 2014.

It is essential to note that my retirement should not be taken as an acknowledgment of the degree of wrong-doing of which I have been accused by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.  In fact, I have been denied basic due process by not being allowed to observe or be provided details as to the content of the emails upon which General Kane has attributed to me.

To give a complete understanding of my difficult relationship with General Kane, one must understand that I met, at her request, with General Kane’s representatives during her probe into the Sandusky investigation.  I was the supervisor of the Sandusky investigation during my tenure with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. I gave General Kane my utmost cooperation, which yielded, to her disappointment, no findings that the Sandusky investigation was conducted in any manner other than totally professional and in accordance with the highest law enforcement protocol.  My interaction during General Kane’s investigation created substantial conflict between myself and her office, as I would not agree with her erroneous presumptions regarding this investigation.  I became certain that General Kane's priority was not an objective overview of our years of hard work, but rather a politically motivated effort to smear reputations during an election year.

General Kane's accusations, particularly the timing in relation to Governor Tom Corbett's re-election, and subsequent to my hostile interaction during her Sandusky probe are further proof the current accusations are politically motivated.

I never initiated any of the referenced pornography nor did I ever view any pornographic videos.  These accusations date back more than five (5) years and my efforts to hire an independent forensic expert to exonerate myself have not been answered. 

My decision to retire is primarily motivated by my knowledge that I can no longer be effective in my current position with the PBPP.   I hold the PBPP and its employees in the highest regard, and I will not allow their important essential service of protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania to be further compromised.

I have spent my entire career in law enforcement, initially as a police officer in the District of Columbia, then in my hometown of Altoona and then as an Agent, promoted to Supervisor with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.  I have received numerous accolades and honors throughout my career.

If this current matter is the personal cost I must pay for putting Jerry Sandusky, a convicted pedophile who operated undetected for over twenty years, in prison for the remainder of his life, then I say the protection of the public is worth this personal ordeal.

I thank the citizens of Pennsylvania for the honor I have been provided to serve them.

###   

Separating Fact from Fiction

Feathers (fiction):   I gave General Kane my utmost cooperation, which yielded, to her disappointment, no findings that the Sandusky investigation was conducted in any manner other than totally professional and in accordance with the highest law enforcement protocol.

Fact:  The Moulton investigation (and my Report 3) found that the Sandusky investigation had numerous failings with regard to protocols for child abuse investigations and any other routine criminal investigation. First and foremost, the investigation did not use a multi-disciplinary investigative team, as required by statute (23 Pa.C.S. § 6365. (c) Investigative team).  In addition, the Sandusky investigators did not obtain timely search warrants and failed to follow up on investigative leads.

Feathers (fiction): If this current matter is the personal cost I must pay for putting JerrySandusky, a convicted pedophile who operated undetected for over twenty years, in prison for the remainder of his life, then I say the protection of the public is worth this personal ordeal.

Fact:  Victims 9 testified that he was abused through his sixteenth birthday, which occurred in July 2009 during the Sandusky investigation.  In addition, another victim (D.F.) has come forward alleging that he too was abused during the time frame of the Sandusky investigation.  Agent Feathers' supervision of the case and the investigative failures, especially the failure to form a multi-disciplinary team, contributed to the delay in arresting Sandusky.  

From the statute:

"The investigative team shall consist of those individuals and agencies responsible for investigating the abuse or for providing services to the child and shall at a minimum include a health care provider, county caseworker and law enforcement official."


Including a child-care caseworker from Centre County would have likely uncovered the existence of the 1998 Sandusky investigation and police report, which was the key evidence that broke the case.

Feathers Questions Veracity of E-mail Evidence

One of the more interesting aspects of Feathers' reluctant retirement was his request to have an independent forensic expert examine the e-mail evidence, as stated in the letter below.

Oct 3, 2014

Honorable Kathleen Kane

Pennsylvania Attorney General

16th Floor,  Strawberry Square

Harrisburg PA 17104

Dear General Kane:

This is in response to your allegations regarding inappropriate emails during my employment with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

I am requesting the opportunity to have an independent forensic expert review the information which form the basis of your allegations against me.  

              Respectfully,

              Randy P. Feathers

              1101 S Front Street

              Harrisburg PA 17104

While this is a perfectly reasonable request, one has to wonder if Feathers motivation for the independent review has anything to do with the processing and handling of email evidence in the Sandusky case. 

According to the independent report of Geoffrey Moulton, the Penn State emails were turned over to the Pennsylvania State Police on 7 July 2011 (see page 158).  However, PSU IT employeee, John Corro, testified (see pages 89-90) that he turned over the emails in April 2011.  

OAG forensic expert Braden Cook testified (see page 67) that the Penn State (Schultz) emails were missing from the inventory of items and were provided to him in March 2011 (later corrected to March 2012).  Cook never testified to the date they were originally received by the OAG. In all, no less than six dates were provided for the turning over of the emails, which were considered the most important evidence in the Conspiracy of Silence case.

Braden Cook was praised by Geoffrey Moulton for his role in reconstructing the e-mail evidence that had been deleted by OAG officials and is now at the center of the "porn gate" scandal.  

 Given the above, Feathers should be granted his request for an independent forensic examination.

The Rest

Porn gate has claimed three individuals who had a role in the Sandusky case, however at least two others have escaped unscathed -- so far.

Frank "Moral Obligation" Noonan, the Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, has been spared from being forced out of his office for the flimsy reason that he didn't open, respond, or forward any emails.  Pennsylvania NOW rightfully called for his resignation for his failure to put a stop the email exchanges.  One has to wonder what Noonan has as leverage to keep him from being removed.  The Edwin Edwards quote is apropos..."either a dead girl or a live boy."

Frank Fina has only escaped the publicity of porn gate because of his maneuver to have a Montgomery County judge bar Kane from mentioning his name publicly.  

Rest assured, these men have only won temporary victories.  

Porn gate is just a warm-up for the feature act that will come later.