SCRANTON, Pa., Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A former Pennsylvania school administrator was sentenced to 14 1/2 years in prison for sexting male students, many of them friends of his daughter.
Mark Kandel, a school director in Scranton, Pa., was convicted of sexually explicit enticement of boys. At Monday's sentencing hearing, Kandel's daughter, herself a student at the school, begged the judge to drop the hammer on her father, who she said was leading a "double life" and had become obsessed with sending text messages on his smartphone, The Scranton Times reported.
"This man, who I'm now ashamed to call my father, went after my own friends," said Sarah Kandel, 16. "He's the epitome of selfishness. Not once has he apologized or given us an explanation of what he did."
Prosecutors said Kandel sent as many as 13,000 text messages, most of them sexual in nature, to 17 juveniles during a short period in 2012. One of the victims came forward after Kandel sent him a nude photo of himself and was ridiculed at the school by fellow students. The victim told Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo he attempted suicide during the ordeal.
"I am a victim of Mark Kandel," the teenager proclaimed.
For his part, Kandel apologized at his sentencing hearing and said he'd hit rock bottom.
"I take full responsibility for my inappropriate behavior. I have fallen as low as a person can fall," Kandel said. "I lost my family, friends, reputation, employment and freedom. I express deep regrets for the pain and suffering I have caused them."
