Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano wants access to legal files linked to the controversial Freeh report. The report, compiled by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, was used by the NCAA to impose harsh sanctions on the university. Lubrano has been a vocal critic of the way Penn State handled the Jerry Sandusky scandal — especially the way Joe Paterno was let go.
Detractors have said the Freeh report is inaccurate and incomplete, in part, because some of the main players, including Joe Paterno, were never interviewed.
The Paterno family later commissioned its own report, which was highly-critical of the Freeh investigation. Former Governor Dick Thornburgh, who reviewed the Freeh report said it was, “At best incomplete, at worst tragically inaccurate.”
Questions are now being raised in connection with an investigation Freeh’s company conducted for a Las Vegas gambling group. According to published reports, Wynn Resorts forced Japanese billionaire, Kazuo Okadato, to sell his shares in the company after a Freeh investigation into bribery allegations.
Okadato, chairman of Universal Entertainment, hired Michael Chertoff, the former Secretary of Homeland Security. According to a statement released by Okadato’s firm, Chertoff reviewed the Freeh investigation and said it “lacked objectivity and factual support.”
Lubrano says this most recent Freeh controversy is troubling. Lubrano believes members of the board of trustees should be permitted to review Freeh’s work. He’s now asking Penn State’s legal team to obtain materials compiled by the Freeh group.
in a letter to Stephen Dunham, Penn State’s Vice President and General Counsel, Lubrano says, “These materials are required in order for members of the Board to fully discharge their fiduciary obligations relative to a careful review of the Freeh Report and the factual findings that purportedly support the conclusions reached by Mr. Freeh and his investigators.”
Specifically, Lubrano wants to see investigative reports, records of witness interviews, and related correspondence. StateCollege.com contacted Dunham, who says he, “cannot comment on any legal communications with trustees.”
Asked about Lubrano’s request and the Chertoff’s statement, a spokesperson from Freeh’s company said, “We have no further comment on either matter.”
The Freeh report was released in July of 2012 following eight months of investigation. Judge Freeh said at the time that 430 interviews had been conducted and 3.5 million documents had been examined.
Freeh concluded that top administrators at Penn State covered up information about Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of children.
When he announced his findings, Freeh said, “In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State University (Graham) Spanier, (Gary) Schultz, (Joe) Paterno and (Tim) Curley repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse from the authorities, the Board of Trustees, Penn State community, and the public at large.
Spanier, Curley and Schultz are each charged with perjury, endangering the welfare of children, failure to report, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice. All three are waiting to go to trial.
