(AP) A Lebanese American businessman who was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and who helped broker the release of American hostages was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison sentence on child sex charges.

George Nader pleaded guilty in January to bringing a 14-year-old boy from the Czech Republic to the U.S. 20 years ago to engage in sexual activity. He also acknowledged possessing child pornography.

Nader’s name appears more than 100 times in the Mueller report. It details Nader’s efforts to serve as liaison between Russians and members of President Donald Trump’s transition team.

Editors Note: The AP article left out the FACT that : In December 2019, Nader was charged in U.S. federal court with violating campaign finance laws by allegedly also using over three and half million dollars to reach out to Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 campaign for the U.S. Presidency, through a front, WSJ report 

In the 1990s, Nader served as a broker to facilitate the release of American hostages held in the Middle East.

The convictions carried a 10-year mandatory minimum. The judge could have imposed a longer term, though prosecutors also recommended a 10-year sentence.

Nader also agreed to pay $150,000 in restitution to the Czech boy he abused, who is now an adult and testified at Friday’s sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria by phone.

“George destroyed practically my entire life, and I am trying to put it back together piece by piece,” he said through a translator.

Nader’s interest in children and his status as a behind-the-scenes power player both extend back decades. And there’s at least some indication that the latter shielded him from the consequences of the former.

Almost 30 years ago, Nader was caught by customs officials transporting two films, hidden in candy tins, of minor boys into the U.S. He received a six-month sentence, a term that prosecutors in the current case acknowledge is “far below what would be expected of such a crime today.”

In 1991, as he awaited sentencing, his case was twice delayed so he could continue his work on hostage negotiations. Court records cited by his current defense lawyers indicate that British hostage Jon McCarthy and American hostage Edward Tracy were released in July of that year and that Nader played an outsized role in securing the release. Participants in the negotiations wrote letters to the judge on Nader’s behalf.

Later, in 2003, Nader sentenced to a 1-year prison term in the Czech Republic after being convicted there on 10 counts of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a one-year prison term in 2003.

Prosecutors say the abused boys were largely child prostitutes. The 14-year-old boy brought to the U.S. also alleged he was victimized by Nader int he Czech case, though Nader’s lawyers say he wasn’t convicted there. The two sides dispute the extent of abuse inflicted on the boy in the U.S. but Nader has admitted to one sex act.

Nader “used his contacts and his wealth to accomplish” bringing the Czech boy into the U.S., prosecutor Jay Prabhu wrote.

The current case against Nader began in 2018 when images were found on his phone after it was confiscated under a search warrant connected to the Mueller probe.

The images found in Nader’s phones at Dulles International Airport ended up not being the basis for the child-pornography conviction. Instead, prosecutors relied on images and videos he received via email in 2012 that in some cases involved sadistic depictions of infants or toddlers.

Even though it had no bearing on the sentence Nader received, defense lawyers and prosecutors continued to argue at Friday’s sentencing hearing as to whether the images found on the phone were child pornography. Nader’s attorney, Jonathan Jeffress, acknowledged that the photos showed naked children and were obscene, but said they amounted to “dirty jokes” and that Nader had put his struggles with child pornography behind him in 2012.

Prosecutors say the images included clear depictions of child pornography and bestiality and show that Nader is a lifelong recidivist.

Parts of the sentencing papers detailing Nader’s testimony to the special counsel remain blacked out.

Nader, for his part, apologized for his actions at Friday’s hearing.

“I have listened to what’s been said about me,” he said. “I can say I am sincerely, deeply sorry for the suffering I have caused.”

Clinton Portis is one of the Washington Redskins’ last true superstars. In addition to being a great player, he was a charismatic player who let his personality out as much as he could.

By 2004, Clinton Portis had a reputation as an elite running back and a prankster. Neither the Washington Redskins nor the NFL were laughing, though, when Portis earned fines because he wore the wrong socks.

Clinton Portis was one of the NFL’s best running backs in his prime

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A star at the University of Miami, Clinton Portis burst on the scene in 2002 when he totaled 1,508 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie for the Denver Broncos.

The former second-round pick followed that up with 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games for the Broncos in 2003; that earned him Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career.

Denver traded him to the Washington Redskins in 2004 for elite cornerback Champ Bailey. Clinton Portis took well to Washington and ran for over 1,300 yards in each of his first two years there.

Injuries and a heavy workload — Portis had four seasons with over 300 carries by the time he was 27 — contributed to Portis’ career ending earlier than expected. Clinton Portis retired after the 2010 season with 9,923 rushing yards and 75 touchdowns to his name.

Portis had a reputation as a prankster

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Clinton Portis had a great sense of humor that earned rave reviews from teammates, media members, and fans alike. Portis spent the 2005 season using different aliases and wearing different costumes.

Portis also impersonated Napoleon Dynamite in a viral video.

Clinton Portis was a player made for the social media era. His gimmicks and pranks would have been perfect on Twitter and YouTube.

But as is always the case, Clinton Portis’ tendency of going a bit too far landed him in trouble with higher powers … that being the NFL and the mighty fist of the Commissioner’s Office, of course.

Clinton Portis earned fines because of his socks

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The NFL has very strict uniform policies even to this day. Unless the league says otherwise, players need to wear a certain helmet, specific cleats, everything.

Some of the policies don’t make much sense. The Washington Redskins, for example, need to wear white socks even when they wear all-red uniforms.

Clinton Portis didn’t agree with this policy. That’s why, in 2004, he and teammate Sean Taylor wore red socks to go along with their red jersey and red pants.

In Clinton Portis’ first game wearing red socks, he rushed for 148 yards on 31 carries against the rival Giants. Portis repeated the look in an 80-yard, two-touchdown game against the Eagles a week later.

Washington routed the Giants 31-7 and lost 17-14 to Philadelphia.

The NFL wasn’t pleased with Portis’ outfit. Portis received a $5,000 fine, then a $10,000 fine, and ripped the NFL’s uniform policy in a media session.

“I think that is a stupid fine for the simple fact that they want everybody to be the same. This is an individual game, you know. That is the thing that has the league being the No. 1 sport, because different personalities come together as one and people enjoyed that.”

Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor found themselves in uniform trouble a year later, too. The NFL fined Portis $20,000 for wearing black shoes, striped socks, and an unapproved eye shield.

Taylor also wore striped socks and received a $5,000 fine.

An unusual scandal has hit the football world. The United States Justice Department recently charged several former NFL players for attempting to defraud the league through its healthcare program. One of the more prominent players involved in the scandal was former Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis.

Several former players are facing major consequences for their parts in the alleged scheme. Portis is the most famous of the bunch, but fans may recognize others implicated, too. Let’s take a closer look at who’s involved, the charges, and Portis’s reaction. 

The NFL players involved in the scandal 

Portis began his career with the Denver Broncos but played most of it with the Washington Redskins. The running back finished his career with 75 touchdowns and nearly 10,000 rushing yards.

While Portis is a tossup for Hall of Fame honors, he was certainly a great player for a significant stretch of his NFL career. The following former players have also been named in the charges:

• Carlos Rogers
• Robert McCune
• John Eubanks
• Tamarick Vanover
• Ceandris Brown
• James Butler
• Frederick Bennett
• Correll Buckhalter
• Joe Horn
• Reche Caldwell
• Etric Pruitt

While some of these retired players are more famous than others, they were all named in the scandal by news outlets like NBC Sports Washington. But what, specifically, are the charges? 

The fraud charges against Clinton Portis and others

NBC Sports Washington reported that the Justice Department charged 10 players with defrauding the NFL’s retired player healthcare program: 

“The news broke Thursday morning when the Eastern District of Kentucky alleged that the retired players submitted fraudulent claims for medical equipment costing between $40,000-50,000 to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan.”

The indictment said the NFL players in question filed the fraudulent claims from June 2017 through December 2018. The claims were for $3.9 million and the plan distributed $3.4 million in funds to the players. 

The reason this scandal is so serious? It goes beyond rumor and hearsay; it involves a federal crime, which comes with costly penalties including heavy fines and potential jail time. So what did Portis have to say in his defense to such a serious accusation?  

Clinton Portis’ reaction to the fraud charges against him

Clinton Portis attorney, Mark Dycio, says the former running back is innocent. Via @jjouvenal: “Clinton Portis had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement program was illegal.”

— Rick Maese (@RickMaese) December 12, 2019

Portis had two reactions: one from his attorney and the other directly from him. His lawyer, Mark Dycio, released this statement via the Washington Post: 

“Clinton Portis had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement program was illegal. He is completely taken aback by this indictment and will move forward with the process of clearing his good name and those of his fellow NFL alumni.”

Portis regularly appears on local Washington, D.C. media outlets to discuss the Redskins.

In a recent appearance on D.C.’s top sports radio station, 106.7 the Fan, he defended himself, claiming the charges were simply untrue: “I honestly don’t have anything to say. I just would hope that people that’s familiar with me … would know better. It’s some stuff that you see and you know exactly what it is.”

Portis also used a term commonly thrown around by both media outlets and President Trump, referring to the charges as “fake news.” The federal government clearly doesn’t agree. It’ll be interesting to see how the case plays out.