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3 Ex-Penn State Officials Set To Go Before Judge

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Penn State's former president and two other former top administrators will be the subject of a preliminary hearing Monday on charges they conspired to cover up Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children.

Former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Penn State Vice President Gary Schultz were charged with perjury back in November 2011. A year later, early last November, then-Attorney General Linda Kelly announced additional charges against those two men and charges against former Penn State President Graham Spanier.

READ: Complete CBS Philly coverage of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

"This was not a mistake by these men," Kelly said. "It was not an oversight. It was not misjudgment on their part. This was a conspiracy of silence by top officials working to actively conceal the truth."

At the time, Kelly said Spanier, Schultz and Curley were well aware of incidents involving two of Jerry Sandusky's victims.

"They essentially turned a blind eye to the serial predatory acts of Jerry Sandusky committed on the campus when they all knew that children were the victims of these assaults. They gave him unfettered access to Penn State."

One reason it has taken until now for a preliminary hearing on the charges is legal maneuvering by lawyers for the defendants, challenging the admissibility of testimony from Penn State's former general counsel. The defendants claimed they believed the school attorney was representing them during the Sandusky investigation.

In addition to perjury, Spanier, Schultz and Curley are all charged with endangering the welfare of children, conspiracy, and obstruction.

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