Former House speaker Dennis Hastert, once among America's most esteemed political figures, continued a descent into public disgrace as prosecutors revealed sordid details of alleged sex abuse while he was a high school teacher and coach.
New court documents detailed Hastert's alleged molestation of boys as young as 14 -- a precipitous fall from grace for a man once second in line to the US presidency.
The 74-year-old Republican lobbyist agreed to make secret payments totaling $3.5 million to one of his alleged victims, federal prosecutors said in a court filing late Friday.
The documents detail for the first time abuse allegations by five former high school students that they say took place when Hastert taught and coached wrestling at Yorkville High School in Illinois from the 1960s to the early 1980s, before his congressional career.
Hastert pleaded guilty in October to illegally structuring bank withdrawals over 4.5 years that prosecutors identified as hush money.
He told government agents he was being extorted by someone falsely accusing him of abuse, but recorded conversations between him and the person identified in Friday's filing as "Individual A" cast doubt over his claim.
At a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 27, prosecutors are expected to seek a six month sentence for the Illinois lawmaker, taking note of his ill health as Hastert suffered a stroke after pleading guilty.
Hastert's abuse consisted of "intentional touching of minors' groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor," according to prosecutors.
The statutes of limitations have long passed on the alleged abuse so Hastert is only being charged with breaking financial laws.
Hastert was speaker of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007. At the time he was seen as a stolid, affable politician that helped the US legislature transition from the rancorous tenure of his predecessor, Newt Gingrich.
Ironically it was a scandal involving former lawmaker Mark Foley that led to Hastert's downfall. Foley resigned amid allegations that he sent suggestive and sexually explicit emails to teenage pages, or aides.
- 'No ambiguity' -
Prosecutors said the money served to pay "Individual A" after Hastert allegedly made him stay in his motel room during a wrestling camp and massaged his groin area.
"Defendant used his position of trust as a teacher and coach to touch a child's genitals and then undress and ask the child for a back massage in a motel room," prosecutors wrote of that encounter.
"There is no ambiguity; defendant sexually abused Individual A."
In the end, Hastert was able to actually pay "Individual A" a total of $1.7 million -- half the agreed amount -- between 2010 and 2014 in regular payments that only stopped when the government started investigating him.
Official said Hastert gave two other boys aged 14 and 17 a massage in the locker room before performing an unspecified sex act on them in separate instances.
One of the boys told prosecutors that Hastert would sit in a recliner chair "in direct view of the shower stalls in the locker room" while the boys showered.
Stephen Reinboldt, who died in 1995, was abused by Hastert throughout his time in high school in 1967-1971, according to his sister and others.
Prosecutors said that during a massage session, Hastert brushed his hand over the genitals of another boy, who found the encounter "very weird."
An attorney for Hastert did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but his lawyers did offer an apology in a memorandum earlier this week.
"First and foremost, Mr Hastert is deeply sorry and apologizes for his misconduct that occurred decades ago and the resulting harm he caused to others," it read.
"He regrets that he resorted to structuring the withdrawal of his money from banks in an effort to prevent the disclosure of that misconduct."
On Friday, Hastert filed under a seal a response to the government's pre-sentence investigation report. A hearing has been set for Wednesday on whether his response can remain under seal.
- 'Stunning hypocrisy' -
In his filing, Assistant US Attorney Steven Block accused Hastert of "stunning hypocrisy."
In a 2004 memoir, Hastert wrote that "there's never sufficient reason to try to strip away another person's dignity."
Block commented: "That is exactly what defendant did to his victims. He made them feel alone, ashamed, guilty and devoid of dignity.
"While defendant achieved great success, reaping all the benefits that went with it, these boys struggled, and all are still struggling now with what defendant did to them."
Former House speaker Dennis Hastert, once among America’s most esteemed political figures, continued a descent into public disgrace as prosecutors revealed sordid details of alleged sex abuse while he was a high school teacher and coach.
New court documents detailed Hastert’s alleged molestation of boys as young as 14 — a precipitous fall from grace for a man once second in line to the US presidency.
The 74-year-old Republican lobbyist agreed to make secret payments totaling $3.5 million to one of his alleged victims, federal prosecutors said in a court filing late Friday.
The documents detail for the first time abuse allegations by five former high school students that they say took place when Hastert taught and coached wrestling at Yorkville High School in Illinois from the 1960s to the early 1980s, before his congressional career.
Hastert pleaded guilty in October to illegally structuring bank withdrawals over 4.5 years that prosecutors identified as hush money.
He told government agents he was being extorted by someone falsely accusing him of abuse, but recorded conversations between him and the person identified in Friday’s filing as “Individual A” cast doubt over his claim.
At a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 27, prosecutors are expected to seek a six month sentence for the Illinois lawmaker, taking note of his ill health as Hastert suffered a stroke after pleading guilty.
Hastert’s abuse consisted of “intentional touching of minors’ groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor,” according to prosecutors.
The statutes of limitations have long passed on the alleged abuse so Hastert is only being charged with breaking financial laws.
Hastert was speaker of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007. At the time he was seen as a stolid, affable politician that helped the US legislature transition from the rancorous tenure of his predecessor, Newt Gingrich.
Ironically it was a scandal involving former lawmaker Mark Foley that led to Hastert’s downfall. Foley resigned amid allegations that he sent suggestive and sexually explicit emails to teenage pages, or aides.
– ‘No ambiguity’ –
Prosecutors said the money served to pay “Individual A” after Hastert allegedly made him stay in his motel room during a wrestling camp and massaged his groin area.
“Defendant used his position of trust as a teacher and coach to touch a child’s genitals and then undress and ask the child for a back massage in a motel room,” prosecutors wrote of that encounter.
“There is no ambiguity; defendant sexually abused Individual A.”
In the end, Hastert was able to actually pay “Individual A” a total of $1.7 million — half the agreed amount — between 2010 and 2014 in regular payments that only stopped when the government started investigating him.
Official said Hastert gave two other boys aged 14 and 17 a massage in the locker room before performing an unspecified sex act on them in separate instances.
One of the boys told prosecutors that Hastert would sit in a recliner chair “in direct view of the shower stalls in the locker room” while the boys showered.
Stephen Reinboldt, who died in 1995, was abused by Hastert throughout his time in high school in 1967-1971, according to his sister and others.
Prosecutors said that during a massage session, Hastert brushed his hand over the genitals of another boy, who found the encounter “very weird.”
An attorney for Hastert did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but his lawyers did offer an apology in a memorandum earlier this week.
“First and foremost, Mr Hastert is deeply sorry and apologizes for his misconduct that occurred decades ago and the resulting harm he caused to others,” it read.
“He regrets that he resorted to structuring the withdrawal of his money from banks in an effort to prevent the disclosure of that misconduct.”
On Friday, Hastert filed under a seal a response to the government’s pre-sentence investigation report. A hearing has been set for Wednesday on whether his response can remain under seal.
– ‘Stunning hypocrisy’ –
In his filing, Assistant US Attorney Steven Block accused Hastert of “stunning hypocrisy.”
In a 2004 memoir, Hastert wrote that “there’s never sufficient reason to try to strip away another person’s dignity.”
Block commented: “That is exactly what defendant did to his victims. He made them feel alone, ashamed, guilty and devoid of dignity.
“While defendant achieved great success, reaping all the benefits that went with it, these boys struggled, and all are still struggling now with what defendant did to them.”
