A leading pro-abortion and gay rights activist who visited the White House numerous times has been charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy.
Terrance P. Bean, 66, is a major Democratic donor and helped found the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.
According to The Oregonian, Bean was arrested at his Portland home on Wednesday and charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy and one count of third-degree sex abuse for an incident involving the underage male that occurred in 2013 in Eugene, Oregon.
Bean’s 24-year-old ex-boyfriend Kiah Lawson was also arrested in connection with the crime on Thursday.
Both are accused of having a sexual encounter with the boy at a Eugene hotel room.
Bean was released from jail on Wednesday after posting bail.
White House visitor records list Bean’s name 33 times. It is unclear if Bean attended all of those White House appointments, but records show he signed out 13 times.
According to the New York Times, Bean has helped raise over $560,000 for Obama and the Democratic National Committee since 2011. He has raised over $1 million working as a “bundler” since 2007.
Bean has also flown with President Obama on Air Force One. Bean’s Flickr account shows him posing with Obama in several photos.
Bean’s attorney, Kristen Winemiller, said on Wednesday that Bean is a “victim of an extortion ring.”
“Terry Bean is a highly respected community leader who has devoted his life to bettering our community,” Winemiller said in a statement, according to The Oregonian.
“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. 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.”
Though Winemiller did not give specifics, she may have been referring to Lawson.
According to an article published in the Willamette Week in June, Lawson allegedly found a video camera hidden above Bean’s bed back in January. Footage showed Bean having sex with at least six other men. Lawson said he was in several of the videos.
The Willamette Week reported that Lawson used the video and requested money from Bean. Bean sought to settle the matter for $40,000 in exchange for the footage and an agreement to not disclose the matter.
The deal fell through, the Willamette Week reported, and Bean’s attorney pressed charges against Lawson, accusing him of theft and extortion.
Lawson has had drug issues and has a criminal record that includes prior theft. An ex-boyfriend also filed a restraining order against him in 2008.
The Willamette Week broached another angle on Lawson’s criminal history. Lawson met Obama as a quest of Bean’s at a Democratic fundraiser last year. It is unclear whether the Secret Service properly screened Lawson prior to the event.
