Disgraced State Rep. Curtis in another GOP gay sex scandal, resigns

By Karyn Chenoweth Nov 1, 2007, 13:51 GMT

A conservtive state lawmaker who has voted against gay rights resigned Wednesday, days after he was quoted in police reports as saying a man he had sex with after they met at an erotic video store was trying to blackmail him.

Rep. Richard Curtis, 48, said he was resigning immediately to spare his wife and children more public embarrassment.

In a written statement, Curtis said, "Events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people. I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused."

Curtis, a Republican, told a newspaper in his southwest Washington district on Monday that sex was not involved in what he said was an extortion attempt. The other man involved in the sexual tryst refutes these claims.

Curtis also declared he was not gay.

But in graphic police reports shown on CNN, Curtis said he was being extorted by a man he had sex with at a hotel room in Spokane, where Curtis was attending a GOP retreat. The other man, Cody Castagna, 26, contends Curtis reneged on a promise to pay $1,000 for sex.  "I took his wallet as collateral," said Castagna on CNN.

There have been no arrests in the case.

Spokane County prosecutor Larry Steinmetz said Wednesday that a decision about criminal charges regarding the extortion accusation was weeks away.

Curtis went to the erotic video store early Oct. 26 and met Castagna, police documents said.

The two went to a hotel and had sex, according to police reports released Tuesday.

Curtis alleged Castagna took his wallet and later offered to return it for $1,000. Curtis said he had only $200 and left an envelope with the money at the hotel desk, according to the documents. Castagna said Curtis gave him the wallet to hold as collateral "for the money that he promised me."

Police reports said Castagna called Curtis and demanded an additional $800, and threatened to expose Curtis' "gay lifestyle to his wife unless Richard Curtis provided the disputed money."

Castagna's attorney, David Partovi, said his client's actions didn't rise to the level of extortion, which is a felony.

According to the police reports, Curtis told police that he wanted the wallet back and "wanted to keep the incident as low key as possible." He did not want to pursue charges against Castagna, the reports said.

Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, Curtis has voted against bills that would grant civil rights protections to gays and lesbians, and against a bill that created domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Both measures are now part of state law.

House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt said that as more details began to emerge, it was clear that Curtis "can no longer effectively represent the constituents who elected him."