Foley Investigation Ends; No Charges Expected

19 Sep 2008 // Former U.S. Representative Mark Foley is not expected to face charges following a lengthy investigation into lurid messages he sent to underage congressional pages. According to The Associated Press, two federal law enforcement officials said the results of a Florida state investigation would be announced Friday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. They went on to say that while an FBI investigation has not been closed, they do not expect state or federal charges to be filed.

Foley represented parts of Palm Beach County for 12 years. He resigned in 2006 after being confronted with e-mails and instant messages he sent to mail pages. Foley's attorney, David Roth, acknowledges that Foley sent the messages to the teenagers, but insists the Florida Republican never had inappropriate contact with minors.

Since the incident, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI have been investigating Foley. He has kept a low profile since late last year, but has been seen occasionally around West Palm Beach.

Shortly after his resignation, Foley's attorney announced the former Representative was gay and was molested by a priest as a teenage altar boy. Foley checked himself into an Arizona treatment facility for what his attorneys described as "alcoholism and other behavioral problems."

Republican leaders, including then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) came under fire for the way they handled the scandal. Hastert claimed he learned of Foley's messages after the scandal broke, but a House ethics committee concluded in December 2006 that Hastert actually learned about the messages several months earlier. Nonetheless, the panel did not find that anybody broke rules.

Florida authorities say their investigation was hampered when neither Foley nor the House would let investigators examine his congressional computers. The Florida agency had been working with the FBI and Foley's attorneys to gain access to information on the computers.