Police: Man admits threatening to 'out' lawmaker

Summary

A police report released Tuesday said that Rep. Richard Curtis of La Center, Wash., engaged in consensual sex with a man who then threatened to expose the Republican's gay lifestyle if he was not paid.

Story Published: Oct 30, 2007 at 1:15 PM PDT

Story Updated: Oct 30, 2007 at 10:33 PM PDT

Police: Man admits threatening to 'out' lawmaker

Cody Castagna pauses during a press conference. (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Jed Conklin)

BATTLE GROUND, Wash. - A police report released Tuesday said that a La Center politician engaged in consensual sex with a man who then threatened to expose the Republican's gay lifestyle if he was not paid.

The details come from a search warrant affidavit released by Spokane police, who are investigating the alleged extortion attempt against Rep. Richard Curtis while he was in that town last week for meetings.

According to the affidavit, Curtis met Cody Castagna at the Hollywood Erotic Boutique on Friday about 12:45 a.m., and they went back to Curtis' hotel room about 3:30 a.m. and had sex.

Curtis then fell asleep, and Castagna, who is in his 20s, left the hotel with Curtis' wallet, the affidavit said. Later, Castagna called Curtis and offered to return the wallet in exchange for $1,000. Castagna also threatened to publicly expose Curtis' lifestyle to Curtis' wife, the affidavit said.

Curtis, pictured above, agreed to give the man $200 and left it at the front desk. Later, Castagna called back and demanded $800 more. A police detective listened in on the phone call, the affidavit said.

Curtis told investigators he gave Castagna $100 for "gas money" but insisted that he never agreed to give the man any payment for sex, the affidavit said.

Castagna told detectives Curtis had agreed to pay him $1,000 for sex and that Curtis gave him his wallet as collateral for money owed, the affidavit said. Castagna admitted threatening to tell Curtis' wife about the sex if he was not paid in full, the affidavit said.

KATU News reached Curtis by phone Tuesday, and in a brief conversation the lawmaker denied being gay. Curtis said he planned to release a statement either later in the day or Wednesday. 

The lawmaker told The Columbian newspaper Monday that did not have sex with another man.

State GOP lawmakers were in Spokane last Wednesday through Friday for a retreat to discuss the upcoming legislative session.

Curtis was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, representing a portion of southwestern Washington. He spent years as a Vancouver firefighter before retiring recently.  He got into politics as a member of the La Center City Council.

Curtis has a history of voting against gay rights issues in the State House. In April of this year he voted against Washington's domestic partnership law for same-sex couples. A year before that the lawmaker voted against a gay civil rights bill that would have banned discrimination against gays and lesbians in jobs, housing and insurance.

He's perhaps best known for a proposal that would have banned anti-gay rights protesters at the funerals of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen.

Viewer Poll

Do you support or oppose the health care bill members of the U.S. House will be voting on this weekend? Read more

  • Support
  • Oppose
  • Support most of it
  • Support some of it
  • Unsure