Mary Kay Letourneau's husband: 'We only split so I could sell pot'

Vili Fualaau has revealed the reason why he filed to separate from former-school-teacher-turned-wife Mary Kay Letourneau.

Fualaau said he and Letourneau are still together and he merely filed for a legal separation from her because he believes it will make it easier for him to get a license to distribute "Cigaweed" marijuana cigarettes, the New York Post reports.

"It's not necessarily what you think," he told the Radar Online. "When you want to get licensed, they do background checks on both parties. If I decide to be a part of it, I have to be licensed, and I have to be vetted, and so does a spouse. She has a past. She has a history."

Because Letourneau is a registered sex offender and did jail time for child rape after her sexual relationship with Fualaau was discovered when he was 12-years-old, background checks on the couple would have raised red flags.

"All the rumours that you hear between us. It's fine," he said. "Of course [we are still in love]. A piece of paper doesn't break someone's feelings!"

Letourneau's relationship with the boy was first exposed after a relative of her husband found out about it and told police. After Letourneau's first arrest in March 1997, she gave birth to her first child with Fualaau, a daughter named Audrey, while she was out on bail.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape and was sentenced to six months in jail. She was required to undergo sex offender treatment.

She was released from jail after serving three months. Two weeks later, she was caught having sex with Fualaau in a car. She was arrested again and sentenced to seven years for violating the terms of her parole. While in prison she gave birth to Georgia, her second child with Fualaau.

People magazine confirmed the separation and quoted an unnamed individual close to the couple saying, "They've been having issues for a while now. They tried to work through them, but it didn't work. They're still committed to being good parents to their children.

- NZ Herald, Washington Post