A proposed civil settlement by gay activist and Obama bundler Terry Bean that would have cleared Bean of criminal charges for an alleged sexual encounter with a 15-year-old boy was rejected by a Eugene, Ore., judge, according to Oregon Live.
Bean, who raised over $1 million for President Barack Obama's two presidential campaigns, was arrested last November and charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy and one count of third-degree sex abuse. The charges stemmed from allegations that the 66-year-old Bean and his 25-year-old boyfriend had sex with the teenage boy in a Eugene hotel when he was 15.
Last week, Bean's lawyer cleared the court and attempted to sell a settlement agreement that had been reached with the teenage boy, but the deal was rejected by the judge who learned that Bean had avoided similar charges through a civil agreement.
Oregon Live reports:
Bean, who lives in Portland and is a prominent political fundraiser, proposed a civil compromise that could result in the dismissal of the criminal charges. Had the request been granted, the criminal charges against Bean would have been dismissed.
Circuit Judge Charles Zennaché said he was unaware of another child sex abuse case that has been settled by civil compromise.
In Oregon, judges have discretion to accept or deny a civil compromise.
In the Bean case, the alleged victim, now 17, supports the settlement and does not want to testify, said attorney Lori Deveny, who represents the boy.
The prosecutor in the case offered detailed accounts of three separate accusations against Bean of sexual abuse of teenage boys. Judge Zennaché said that approving the civil agreement would be "bad from a public safety perspective."
Bean's prolific fundraising for Obama has gotten him significant access the the White House. He flew on Air Force One with Obama in 2010 and has also been a frequent guest of the Obama White House.
His name appears on the White House Visitor Log more than 30 times. On one of those visits, Bean brought along his then-boyfriend Kiah Lawson, who was also arrested and charged with identical counts as Bean for the hotel encounter.