Lawmaker investigated by FBI for sexting teen boy says ‘I’m not gay’
This Louisiana lawmaker who’s being investigated for sexting a teenage boy has said he’s “not gay”.
Mike Yenni, 40, President of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, was revealed as sending the explicit texts to a 17-year-old earlier in the year.
He admitted to sending the messages, but insisted he has no idea why, because “I’m not gay”.
“Nothing was acted upon. You know, there was… there was no sex, you know?” the Republican told Fox 8.
“Everybody thinks, oh, something sexual happened. But there was no sex.”
The teenager was at a local Catholic High School when the exchanges happened.
The age of consent in the state is 17, but exchanging sexual content is illegal to do with someone under 18.
According to printouts of text messages between them, Mr Yenni allegedly told the teen he wanted him naked, perform a sex act on him and proposed a three-way with the older teen who put them in contact in the first place.
Now facing investigation by the FBI, Mr Yenni said what had happened has been taken out of context.
“They think these things… they think things were acted upon. They think there was, you know…. this was over a period, you know, the total time frame, probably less than two weeks.”
“I really believe that, the way they’ve thrown these words out there, and the way… the way they’ve tried allude to certain things… by trying to define me as a person I’m not.
“By his pleadings….Like, in other words, what he’s trying to say in his pleadings, ‘He is a pedophile, he is an admitted homosexual.’
“And that is not true. I’ve never admitted that. It doesn’t define me either. ..To simply say, I’m not gay.”
The teenager claimed the pair met in a bathroom when the two kissed, and Mr Yenni gave him designer underwear as a gift.
The Parish leader denies the claims they met in a bathroom or exchanged underwear.
The teenager involved eventually blocked his number, and has not been identified to protect his identity.
