Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert could be sent to prison for up to 5 years when he is sentenced on Wednesday by a federal judge for a financial crime related to accusations of sexual abuse when he was a high school wrestling coach decades ago.
One of his accusers, who was a 17-year-old wrestler when he claims Hastert performed a sex act on him after a practice, is expected to testify at the sentencing hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The person, named as Individual D in court documents, will be the first of five accusers identified by federal prosecutors to make a public statement about Hastert. The sister of one of them, who is now deceased, is also expected to testify.
Prosecutors had asked for a maximum 6-month sentence, plus probation, in exchange for Hastert’s guilty plea in October to a financial crime known as structuring, which entails withdrawing large sums of money in small increments to evade bank rules about reporting major cash movements. He was paying the money to one of his alleged victims.
Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (2nd L) is shown in this courtroom sketch during a hearing in the federal courthouse in Chicago, Illinois October 28, 2015. REUTERS/Tom Gianni
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Durkin has the discretion to impose a sentence of up to 5 years, the statutory maximum.
Hastert’s attorneys have asked the judge for a probation-only sentence, noting his ill health, remorse, and long history of public service. Hastert, 74, was hospitalized last year for a blood infection and he also suffered a stroke.
Prosecutors have argued that not only has Hastert been accused of abusing teenaged wrestlers in his hometown of Yorkville, Illinois, but he also lied to federal authorities who asked him in 2014 about the cash withdrawals.
Hastert, who was the longest-serving Republican House speaker in history and later a lobbyist, told agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was being extorted by someone who had falsely accused him of abuse.
The agents listened in on telephone calls Hastert had with that person, identified only as Individual A.
Federal prosecutors have said that in the calls it became clear that Hastert had entered an agreement to pay Individual A $3.5 million to compensate him for pain and suffering from sexual abuse when he was 14.
Individual A is not expected to testify at the sentencing. On Monday, using the name James Doe, he sued Hastert for $1.8 million, saying he had received only $1.7 million of the promised compensation.
Hastert was not charged with sex abuse because the statute of limitations had run out.
(Reuters Reporting by Fiona Ortiz)
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