Disgraced former US congressman Anthony Weiner, whose career nosedived after he was caught sending sexually explicit texts and images to young women while he was still married, has allegedly spent several months this year in an online, highly explicit relationship with a 15-year-old girl, according to a new report.



The ex-politician and failed New York mayoral candidate asked her to undress for him and engage in rape fantasies among a plethora of erotic exchanges that began in January 2016, the Daily Mail reported.

Weiner is still married to Huma Abedin, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide and campaign vice-chairman. Abedin announced in August that she was separating from her husband after Weiner was revealed in another report to have sent another woman a provocative picture of himself in his underwear, with his young son next to him.

It was but the most recent in a series of scandals involving Weiner.

The couple are apparently still sharing a home in New York and were photographed by the Daily Mail leaving separately on Wednesday morning, with Abedin carrying a bag bearing the Clinton campaign logo and apparently heading to Florida with the candidate, while Weiner was “going for a walk”.

Weiner allegedly communicated with the girl, who appears to live in a state other than New York, using Twitter, Skype, Facebook and other digital platforms to exchange videos, texts, photographs and have voice conversations.

The girl – who was not named in the report in order to protect her identity as a minor – reportedly approached the publication and, along with her father, who is also not named, gave detailed interviews and shared messages, images and screen grabs of communications exchanged with Weiner.

She said she struck up the initial contact with Weiner but discontinued it after the August revelation of pictures in the New York Post, which he is said to have sent to a 40-year-old woman.

Anthony Weiner is 51. The law of consent in most states is between 16 and 18, although in many states teens younger than 16 can have consensual sexual contact with each other provided the age gap is not more than four years.

By all accounts Weiner and the 15-year-old did not meet or have any physical contact. He allegedly sent her explicitly sexual messages and asked her to undress and masturbate over video chat. When an exchange escalated and he allegedly tried to engage her in talk of a rape fantasy, she objected and he dropped the subject, according to the Daily Mail’s report.

Anthony Weiner. Photograph: Everett/REX/Shutterstock

Weiner reportedly admitted to the Daily Mail that he had engaged in flirtatious exchanges with the girl but did not comment further on any of the specific allegations. He maintained that some of the details may be a hoax.

In some screenshots accompanying the report, Weiner’s picture and name can be seen on screen. In a statement to the Daily Mail, Weiner said, in part: “I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent. I am filled with regret and heartbroken for those I have hurt.”

He sent a similar statement to Fox News and also apologized for his behavior, while repeating that he may be the subject of a hoax.

According to Wednesday’s report, Weiner and the 15-year-old used apps such as Kik and Confide where much of the material exchanged or the identity of the sender is automatically deleted.

But the girl reportedly took some screenshots of certain images and words.

“A situation such as this could involve an array of crimes, depending on what is done and what a minor is asked for,” said John Wilkinson, an attorney adviser and former prosecutor with Aequitas, a consultancy and research organization that advises on prosecuting violence against women.

Any investigation into Weiner could involve child sex abuse images or child endangerment statutes. There are also federal laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation of children and other statutes involving the transfer of obscene materials to a minor. Wilkinson also explained that even if an adult claims a teenager initiated contact and they did not realize their young age, that is not accepted as a defense in court.

If the two people are in different states, or even if they are in the same state but use digital services such as Skype, which often have their servers located in another state, then a situation involving a 51-year-old and a 15-year-old could be investigated under federal as well as state criminal laws.

Azi Paybarah, a senior reporter at Politico, posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had been asked about the latest scandal and Cuomo said that if the latest report was true it was “sick” and potentially “criminal”.

After the August scandal, Weiner first denied and then admitted that he was being investigated by New York’s child services authorities.