WASHINGTON — He’s a mega bundler for President Obama. He’s been on Air Force One. He’s shared a Christmas visit with Michelle Obama at the White House. And now he’s being accused of sex with a minor.
Terry Bean, 66, a gay activist and major Democratic fund-raiser, was arrested Wednesday in Portland, Ore., for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Bean’s ex-boyfriend, Kiah Lawson, 25, was arrested Thursday in connection with the same incident.
The arrests follow an angry breakup between the couple, where Bean accused his former boyfriend of extortion after Lawson gained access to hidden video images from Bean’s bedroom.
Authorities said the duo found the 15-year-old online and had a sexual encounter with him in an Oregon hotel in 2013.
Bean, who raised more than $500,000 for Obama’s campaign in 2012, is charged with third-degree sodomy and third-degree sexual abuse in the sexual encounter.
Bean’s Flickr account shows him at several events with Obama and other political figures, including former President Bill Clinton.
He’s also been photographed with Obama on Air Force One and with Michelle Obama during a Christmas event at the White House in 2012.
Records show Lawson has prior arrests and has pleaded guilty to theft and misdemeanor assault.
Snapshots chronicle the couple’s trips to Democratic fund-raising events and on a White House tour.
Bean’s lawyer charged that her client was being extorted.
“Over the course of several months in 2013-2014, Terry was the victim of an extortion ring led by several men known to law enforcement,” attorney Kristen Winemiller said in a statement. “This current arrest is connected to the ongoing investigation of that case in which Mr. Bean has fully cooperated.
“No allegations against Terry Bean should be taken at face value. We look forward to the opportunity to clear his name.”
Bean is a founder of the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay-rights group.
The Willamette Week, a Portland-area newspaper, reported in June that after Lawson discovered a camera hidden in a smoke detector over Bean’s bed, he sought money from Bean, claiming the camera recorded videos “of at least a half dozen individuals in a state of nudity engaged in intimate acts with you.”
Bean attempted to settle the matter for $40,000, the paper reported.
Speaking at a major fund-raiser in Portland, Obama singled out Bean. “I want to thank somebody who put so much work into this event — Terry Bean! Give Terry a big round of applause,” he said.
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