Updated at 4:08 p.m. ET: BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison Tuesday for abusing 10 boys he met over 15 years through his charity for troubled children.

Sandusky — who was defensive coordinator and for many years the presumed heir-apparent to legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno — could have faced as long as 400 years for his convictions on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

But McKean County Common Pleas Court Judge John Cleland, who was brought in to hear the trial after all of Centre County's judges recused themselves, told Sandusky that at age 68, he would be in prison "for the rest of your life."

"The crime is not only what you did to their bodies but to their psyches and their souls and the assault to the well-being of the larger community in which we all live," Cleland said.

Read the full sentencing order (.pdf)

Sandusky's lead attorney, Joe Amendola, told reporters outside court that he would file an appeal within 10 days, saying he hadn't had enough time to prepare an adequate defense.

Legal analysis: Sandusky sentencing was logical and reasonable

Three of Sandusky's victims addressed the court, some of them speaking tearfully to Sandusky. They told of how they had looked up at Sandusky as a mentor, only to have him betray their trust.

"You were the person in my life who was supposed to be a role model, teach honor, respect and accountability, and instead you did terrible things that screwed up my life," said one of the victims, whom NBC News isn't identifying. 

"You had the chance to plead guilty and spare us the testimony," he said. "Rather than take the accountability, you decided to try to attack us as if we had done something wrong."

Another said: "I have tried to think of the words to describe how Jerry Sandusky has impacted my life. There are no words adequate to express the pain and misery he has inflicted in the past, present and future.

"He promised to be my friend and mentor. Then came the ultimate betrayal and deeds. He humiliated me beyond description."

For his part, Sandusky — as he did in a surprise audio statement Monday night on the Penn State student radio station — insisted that "I didn't do these alleged disgusting acts."

Saying he had been advised against speaking at length, Sandusky told Cleland that "as I began to relive everything, I remember my feelings. So many people were hurt, and my eyes filled with tears. It was a horrible time in life to witness, to listen to, be a part of."

Sandusky said he had "hope in my heart for a brighter day, not knowing when that day will come."

"Many moments I have spent looking for a purpose," he said. "Maybe it will help others — some vulnerable children who may have been abused may not be as a result of all the publicity — but I'm not sure about it. I would hope that it would happen. 

"I would cherish the opportunity to be a little candle for others as my life goes on as they have been a huge light to me."

After the hearing, Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan, who prosecuted the case for the state, called Sandusky's comments "banal self-delusion completely untethered from reality."

"It was, in short, ridiculous," he said.

Sandusky alleges massive conspiracy
Wearing a red prison jumpsuit and appearing notably thinner than before he was convicted in June, Sandusky was transported to Centre County Court from jail in a sheriff's patrol car shortly before the hearing. His wife, Dottie, was in attendance.

Sandusky's statement echoed many of the ideas — some of them word for word — that he broached in his surprise statement Monday night, in which he blamed a widespread conspiracy among police, university administrators and the media for his conviction.

After the hearing, Amendola alluded to that theory, alleging that there was "an undercurrent" in some parts of state government to bring down Penn State because of the power Paterno had amassed in 46 years as head football coach. 

"Folks, my understanding is for years opponents had ongoing battles with the state Legislature over funding," Amendola said. "Penn State always held itself over and above" other state institutions, which rankled some officials, he said.

But in sentencing Sandusky on Tuesday, Cleland called that theory "unbelievable." 

Transcript: Full radio statement from Jerry Sandusky

Related: Audio of Sandusky's statement on Penn State student station ComRadio

In a statement, Penn State President Rodney Erickson said: "Our thoughts today, as they have been for the last year, go out to the victims of Jerry Sandusky's abuse. While today's sentence cannot erase what has happened, hopefully it will provide comfort to those affected by these horrible events and help them continue down the road to recovery."

The statement reflected how deeply the scandal rocked Penn State and Centre County.

Paterno, who was a revered figure representing integrity in college football, was fired Nov. 9 amid allegations that he didn't properly report concerns about Sandusky to authorities. He died in January at age 85.

University President Graham Spanier resigned in November. Athletic Director Tim Curley is on administrative leave, and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz retired. Curley and Schultz face separate trials on charges that they lied to a grand jury about what they knew.

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Penn State's storied football program, meanwhile, was fined $60 million by the NCAA and was stripped of all victories back to 1998.

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Following is the full transcript of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's statement Monday, which was recorded from his jail cell in Bellefonte, Pa., and aired on the Penn State student radio station:

I'm responding to the worst loss of my life.

First, I looked at myself. Over and over, I asked why? Why didn't we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial?

Sandusky, alleging broad conspiracy, insists he's innocent of child sex-abuse charges

Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations? What's the purpose? Maybe it will help others. some vulnerable children who could be abused might not be because of all the publicity. That would be nice, but I'm not sure about it. I would cherish the opportunity to become a candle for others, as they have been a light for me.

They can take away my life, they can make me out as a monster, they can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts.

My wife has been my only sex partner, and that was after marriage. Our love continues.

A young man who was dramatic, a veteran accuser and always sought attention, started everything. He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers. They won.

I've wondered what they really won: attention, financial gain, prestige — will all be temporary.

Before you blame me, as others have, look at everything and everybody. Look at the preparation for the trial and the trial. Compare it to others. Think about what happened. Why, and who made it happen?

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Evaluate the accusers and their families. Realize they didn't come out of isolation. The accusers were products of many more people and experiences than me. Look at their confidants and their honesty. Think about how easy it was for them to turn on me given the information, attention and potential perks. I never labeled or put down them or their families. I tried and I cared, then asked for the same.

Please realize all came to the Second Mile because of issues. Some of those may remain.

We will continue to fight. We didn't lose the proven facts, evidence, accurate locations and times. Anything can be said. We lost to speculation and stories that were influenced by people who wanted to convict me.

We must fight unfairness and consistency and dishonesty. People need to be portrayed for who they really are.

We've not been complainers. When we couldn't have kids, we adopted. When we didn't have time to prepare for a trial, we still gave it our best. We will fight for another chance.

We have given many second chances, and now we'll ask for one. It will take more than our effort. Justice will have to be more than just a word, fairness more than just a dream. It will take others: somebody apolitical with the courage to listen, to think about the unfairness, to have the guts to stand up and take the road less traveled.

I ask for the strength to handle everything and willingness to surrender only to God, regardless of the outcome.

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New in this version: Statement from Sandusky; reaction from attorney; links to text and audio

Updated at 8:27 p.m. ET: Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky insisted Monday that "I did not do these alleged disgusting acts" and blamed a systematic conspiracy among police, Penn State administrators and the media for his conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

"They can take away my life, they can make me out as a monster, they can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart," Sandusky, 68, who is to be sentenced Tuesday, said in a three-minute statement recorded from his jail cell in Bellefonte, Pa., and aired on the Penn State student radio station.

Sandusky said his accusers were part of a "well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists (and) civil attorneys" to falsely put him in prison.

"My wife has been my only sex partner, and that was after marriage. Our love continues," he said.

Related: Full statement from Jerry Sandusky

Related: Audio of Sandusky's statement on Penn State student station ComRadio

"Over and over, I asked why? Why didn't we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial?" Sandusky said. "Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations?"

He said his accusers chose to join his Second Mile program for troubled boys "because of issues" and said that "some of those may remain."

Sandusky said he hoped his experience would help others, saying: "Some vulnerable children who could be abused might not be because of all the publicity. That would be nice, but I'm not sure about it."

Karl Rominger, an attorney for Sandusky, told NBC News that  he hadn't known of Sandusky's plans to issue the statement beforehand. After hearing it, he said it sounded like his client.

Earlier, Sandusky's lead attorney, Joe Amendola, said his client was prepared for the worst when he is sentenced on 45 counts of child sexual abuse Tuesday.

"He's going to say that he’s innocent," Amendola told NBCPhiladelphia. com.

Sandusky, who had become a hometown hero as a Penn State coach and as a champion for underprivileged boys, was convicted in June of abusing 10 boys over  15 years, including some attacks inside Penn State's athletic facilities.

Before the judge decides how much time Sandusky will spend in prison, some of his victims may speak out, as may Sandusky.

View NBCPhiladelphia's complete coverage of Penn State scandal

"Jerry will not be having anyone speak on his behalf," Amendola told NBC News on Monday before participating in a closed-door meeting with prosecutors and Judge John Cleland to discuss sentencing logistics. 

Attorney Ben Andreozzi, who represents Victim 4, told the Patriot News that nothing surprises him from Sandusky.

"I keep hoping he will do the right thing and take responsibility for his actions but it appears that day will never come," Andreozzi said.

Sentencing is expected to begin with a hearing to determine whether Sandusky qualifies as a sexually violent predator under Pennsylvania's version of Megan's Law, after which Sandusky will be sentenced.

Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, given his age and the serious nature of his convictions. Several of the counts carry mandatory minimum sentences of five or 10 years.

Amendola said Sandusky is prepared to hear the worst.

"It's going to be tantamount to a life sentence for Jerry," Amendola told NBCPhiladelphia.com.

Amendola told NBC News that he has letters defending Sandusky, including one from his wife, Dottie Sandusky, who stands by her husband and will attend the sentencing.

Sandusky admits to no wrongdoing, Amendola said, but he does admit making a mistake.

“What Jerry has always said, his mistake was using bad judgment and doing some of the things that led up to the accusations — getting showers with kids," Amendola told NBCPhiladelphia.com. "He said he should have realized, obviously, that wasn't the thing to do. But he's always maintained and still maintains his innocence."

Sandusky has spent the last three months in a cell with a bed, a sink and a toilet.

"It’s a Spartan life. He’s isolated," Amendola said. "Not because he's bad, not because they think he's a bad person, but for his own protection.”

Sandusky has been busy writing a detailed document that he is convinced will be the key to his appeal.

'He was set up'
"I believe that he was set up; I really do," Amendola said, according to NBCPhiladelphia.com. "I believe this started out as an investigation into Jerry Sandusky, but as soon as the power people realized that this could also implicate Penn State, I think this took on a life of its own."

Analysis: What to expect at Sandusky's sentencing

Amendola said there were inconsistencies in the testimony from accusers that jurors simply ignored.

"If Jerry Sandusky did all the things these young people said he did, he didn’t have time to do anything else — he didn’t have time to be a parent, he didn't have time to be an assistant coach at Penn State — my God, he was busy doing all these sexual activities with all these kids!"

Sandusky is more than ready to be sentenced, Amendola said, because for them, the sentencing finally triggers the appeals process. The basis of their appeal will be that Sandusky was denied due process.

Looking back, Amendola said he does have regrets — Sandusky should have testified, and his lawyers should have asked for an out-of-county jury. But the biggest regret was the interview with Bob Costas of NBC's "Rock Center."

When Sandusky walks into court Tuesday, he’ll look different from  the last time, when he was handcuffed after his guilty verdict and led away in his starched white shirt and brown sports coat.

"You’re going to see a guy who's lost some weight," Amendola said. "They may have him dressed in prison garb ... the bright orange. And he’s lost weight. But he's feisty!"

Ex-Penn State football aide McQueary files $4M whistleblower lawsuit

Amendola said Sandusky's spirits are unbelievably high.

"He really believes that he's going to be vindicated," Amendola said. "He really anticipates he's going to get another shot at this.

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A retired school bus driver, a Wal-Mart employee, a Penn State professor and a Penn State football season ticketholder since the 1970s. They are among the 12 jurors and four alternates selected to hear the child sex abuse case against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

With jury selection completed on Wednesday, the judge said the trial would begin next week.

Sandusky faces 52 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. He has pleaded not guilty and faces more than 500 years in prison if convicted on all counts. The 68-year-old grandfather has denied the allegations.

At least one jury expert says Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola, was wise to insist that the case be tried locally. Prosecutors had sought an out-of-county jury.

“I think quite frankly that Amendola is hedging his bets, and he’s very lucky he’s picking his jury in the area. I think he will probably find one person in that pool who will keep Jerry Sandusky from being convicted,” said Robin Wertz, a jury consultant based in Reading, Pa., and a one-time Penn State football season-ticket holder.

“Penn State fans and people with connections to Penn State have a loyalty like none other, and they may need to see some real hard evidence, more so than people from out of town, to convict one of their own," Wertz told msnbc.com. "If there is a close call in this case … I think that Amendola’s smartest move was to hope for that one person in that Penn State community that will prevent a conviction.”

But Howard Varinsky, a leading trial consultant who has been involved in high-profile cases, including those of Michael Jackson, Phil Spector, Jack Kevorkian and Timothy McVeigh, said Sandusky would probably have been better off with a change of venue.

“It sounds like you have a pretty straight jury there, and it sounds like a prosecution jury to me,” he said.

“The defense is hoping that with at least two science people on the jury. They get very picky on their evidence and want to see hard facts. There are no hard facts here. This is all witness testimony,” Varinsky said.

12-person jury, alternates chosen in Sandusky case

Details emerged of the selected jury's composition from the Bellefonte, Pa., courtroom. Many revealed a strong connection to Penn State. A look at jurors:

Juror 1: A woman and Wal-Mart employee. She has two daughters. She said she doesn’t know much about the case.

Juror 2: A 24-year-old man who plans to start school in the fall to study automotive technology.

Juror 3: A woman whose husband is a physician in the same medical group in which John McQueary, the father of one of the key witnesses in the case, worked. The woman also has been a football season ticket holder since the 1970s.

Sandusky's attorney had moved to strike the woman as a juror, but Judge John Cleland overruled his objection.

"We're in Centre County. We're in rural Pennsylvania," Cleland said. "There are these (connections) that cannot be avoided."

Juror 4: An engineer who is married to a librarian. "I do read blogs and papers,” he said. “I did make a point of avoiding stories about this case. I reach a saturation point about 2 ½ months ago. Once I received the summons I thought it would be better not read anyone."

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Juror 5: A Bellefonte High School physics and chemistry teacher. He has two boys, ages 5 and 2. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Penn State in 2003 and 2008. Asked by the defense attorney if he could be fair because he has two young boys, he says he could. He said he doesn't read too many newspapers and if he does, it’s the sports section. He said he knows about the case but not beyond common knowledge.

Juror 6: A married woman in her 20s. She works at a department store. She doesn't read the newspapers and said she has not heard any specific details of the case. She said she has no opinion about the case.

Juror 7: A Penn State junior who works part-time for the university’s sports facility. He is in his 20s and does administrative work for track and softball. He wore a Penn State archery T-shirt.  He read a lot about the case and had opinions, he said, but could put them aside for the trial.

His cousin also played on the Penn State football team for six years, and his mom works for the State College Area School District. He said his mom knows more, but has not shared it with him.

Juror 8: A retired Penn State professor in his late 60s or early 70s. He is married and worked as a soil science professor in the Department of Agriculture for 37 years. He’s been retired for four years.

Juror 9: A retired woman in her 70s.

Juror 10: She works at Penn State as an administrative assistant in engineering. She doesn't know anyone in case. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Juror 11: A 30-year-old woman who worked part-time at Penn State as a dance class instructor. She said she has had conversations with her husband about the case. Her husband is a media specialist at the Larson Institute at Penn State. She has a Facebook account, has watched television and read newspapers, but hasn't seen information recently. She knows one potential witness through her dance connections, she said. She has one son, age 6. She has not experienced abuse in her life.

Juror 12: A woman in her 50s or 60s who has been a Penn State professor for 24 years. She did not say what she teaches or what department she works in. She said she has read some news accounts and the Sandusky grand jury report. She also worked on a small committee with ousted Penn State President Graham Spanier.

Alternate 1: A 30-year-old woman who is a Penn State graduate student majoring in human development. She said Sandusky spoke at her graduation.

Alternate 2: A married woman with no children. She said she can be impartial and ready to commit herself to the time the trial would take. "I'm really bad about reading the newspaper. I don't watch a lot of television," she said.

Alternate 3: A man in his 50s. He is married and has two sons, ages 29 and 30. He works in Reading, Pa. He said he talked to his wife about it but wasn't overly exposed to facts of the case. He read the grand jury report when it first came out, but said he hasn't kept up with latest developments. He doesn't get a newspaper or follow blogs, he said.

He graduated from Penn State and his wife is the director for Upward Bound (a program within Penn State geared towards getting high school children prepared for college). This program has no connection with Sandusky’s charity, Second Mile. He attends high school football games. Asked about his two boys and whether he would be able to be objective, he nodded yes. His wife is a reporter, he said. His sister's husband is a retired corrections officer. He said did not know anyone who had been a victim of sexual assault.

Alternate 4: A woman in her 60s. She said she doesn't believe a lot of what is reported in the media and staunchly believes in innocence until proven guilty. She adamantly agreed that prosecution must prove its case. She said she’s seen enough television and movies to know that it "has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt."

Msnbc.com's Sevil Omer and James Eng contributed to this story, as did NBC News's Tom Winter.

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