Ortloff allegations grow more troubling
The Albany Times-Union and the Plattsburgh Press-Republican have mined a bail-hearing memo compiled by Federal prosecutors.
The allegations are so disturbing that the P-R had to place a reader warning on its front page. The T-U has posted long excerpts of the Federal allegations here:
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=729873
Below are the key revelations from the last 24 hours. First a couple of caveats:
1. Chris Ortloff is innocent until proven guilty. 2. So far, several key facts have been misreported (and then promptly corrected) by various news organizations.
Our understanding of this case may well change.
Here’s what we know so far:
1. Former Assemblyman Chris Ortloff began communicating over the internet with an undercover State Police officer in June. He allegedly thought he was emailing with a parent willing to arrange a sexual tryst with two pre-teen girls.
2. Ortloff allegedly met with this undercover officer on the day of his arrest. They allegedly looked at child pornography together. During their conversation, Ortloff is quoted as telling the cop that he had previous sexual encounters with underaged girls.
3. In transcripts provided by State Police, Ortloff allegedly acknowledged that his actions were criminal, but he denied that they were immoral.
I always ask myself when I am doing something new…Is this right or wrong? Do I have a moral problem with this? And honestly I don’t have a moral problem with this because I started when I was young and you started when you were young and here we are. It didn’t ruin us, or maybe it did (laugh)…
4. Ortloff allegedly spoke at length about his sexual plans for the upcoming sexual encounter. “I want to teach them,” he reportedly said. “I want them to be very well balanced.”
5. Ortloff allegedly took a number of actions to avoid being caught and told the undercover officer that he feared discovery. “[W]e dont want to leave a trail for people with bad intent to do us harm,” he allegedly wrote in an email.
6. According to the T-U, Ortloff was “buck naked” when he was apprehended in a Colonie hotel room. He allegedly had a number of sexual toys in his possession, which he planned to give to the girls for “homework.”
7. On Wednesday, Ortloff resigned from the state Parole Board, a post that had carried a $100,000 salary.
8. Ortloff remains behind bars and Federal prosecutors are hoping to deny his release on bail pending trial.
