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http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/11/14/111511-news-sandusky-lawyer-teen-web/

Sandusky lawyer impregnated a teen

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The lawyer for accused child molester Jerry Sandusky apparently likes his women young.

Defense attorney Joe Amendola, 63, representing Sandusky in the sexual molestation case roiling Penn State and Joe Paterno’s legendary football program, impregnated a teenager and later married her, The Daily has learned.

According to documents filed with Centre County Courthouse, Amendola served as the attorney for Mary Iavasile’s emancipation petition on Sept. 3, 1996, just weeks before her 17th birthday.

The emancipation request said Mary graduated from high school in two years with a 3.69 grade point average and maintained a full-time job — but makes no mention of any special relationship between her and her lawyer.

Roughly around the same time, however, Iavasile became pregnant with Amendola’s child, and gave birth before she turned 18, her mother, Janet Iavasile, alleged in an interview with The Daily.

He was born in 1948 and was around 49 at the time.

“At the time, I didn’t know the extent of the relationship,” said Janet of when her daughter first began spending time with the attorney. Amendola seemed more like Mary’s “mentor,” she added.

“She met him through the school district; she was interested in the law,” Janet said.

Court records show the two were married on Feb. 8, 2003, around the time her mother says their second child was born. They are now separated, but she has kept his surname.

Since then, Janet said, she has learned to accept the unusual relationship.

“Joe is a very good father and has loved his two children very much, and that’s the most important thing for me right now,” she said.

Mary Amendola, who is now 32, did not return requests for comment, but later emailed The Daily claiming "all of the information is incorrect," though she would not provide details. Joe Amendola did not return multiple requests for comment.

Mary has tried to distance herself from the now notorious attorney — just yesterday, she changed her Facebook name to Mary Christmas. Her friends joked she should make it permanent.

But when Joe Amendola said in a televised interview last night that he would let Sandusky supervise his children, Mary Amendola instantly posted on her Facebook, "OMG did Joe just say that he would allow my kids to be alone with Jerry Sandusky?"

sarah.ryley@thedaily.com


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
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eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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