'CHICAGO (AP) — Dennis Hastert, the Republican who for eight years presided over the House and was second in the line of succession to the presidency, was sentenced Wednesday to more than a year in prison in the hush-money case that included accusations he sexually abused teenagers while coaching high school wrestling.
Judge Thomas M. Durkin also ordered Hastert to undergo sex-offender treatment, spend two years on supervised release after 15 months behind bars and pay a $250,000 fine to a crime victims’ fund.
In explaining his punishment, the judge called Hastert a “serial child molester” and described as “unconscionable” his attempt to accuse one of the victims of extortion.
Hastert becomes one of the highest-ranking politicians in American history to be sentenced to prison. He pleaded guilty last fall to violating banking law as he sought to pay $3.5 million to someone referred to in court papers only as Individual A to keep the sex abuse secret.
Earlier in the hearing, a former athlete who said he was molested by Hastert decades ago told the courtroom that he was “devastated” by the abuse.
The man, now in his 50s, said Hastert abused him while they were alone in a locker room. He struggled to hold back tears as he described the incident in detail. In the years since, he said, he sought professional help and had trouble sleeping. He said the memory still causes him pain.
He said he trusted and looked up to Hastert.
In his own statement, Hastert admitted that he “mistreated” some of his athletes and said he was “deeply ashamed.”
Fall from Grace - (
New Window )
Put him in gen pop and the problem will sort itself out.
In a word, yes.
I used to work for a member of Congress. He was pulled over at about 2am in Virginia while driving erratically. Upon administering a FST, the officers ruled he was DUI and arrested him. Police officer asked him where he was headed so late and he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Going to see my daughter."
Yeah, well, turns out he didn't have a daughter...with his wife. Turns out he had an affair with a military officer and had a child out of wedlock. So much for all the family values he loved to talk so much about.
He resigned from office to spend more time with family. He ran again once the seat became vacant.
This hsppened 40+ years ago when he was a high school teacher.
IN this case one could say that it was actually his political fame that likley caught him in the ends.
Wasn't he charged with illegal money withdrawals in order to try an conceal money he was paying to a blacmmaleri about his past abuse?
If he never had ran for any office and become a national figure it likley would never have come to light.
Gotta get Dubya first
Statue of Limitations in the abuse cases