Four people have accused former US Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of sexual abuse
Mr Hastert had pled guilty of evading banking laws for hush money
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Your support makes all the difference.At least four men have accused former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert of sexual abusing them when they were teenagers.
Mr Hastert, 74, pled guilty in October for evading federal banking laws to cover up payments he made to an individual for past misconduct. The Illinois politician reached an agreement with prosecutors to forego a trial, and awaits sentencing on 27 April.
“Mr Hastert is deeply sorry and apologised for his misconduct that occurred decades ago and the resulting harm he caused to others,” his lawyers wrote in a Wednesday sentencing memo asking Mr Hastert only serve probation. They did not specify the nature of the misconduct, but details are expected to come to light during the sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said Mr Hastert had paid out $3.5 million in the so-called hush money scandal, the Associated Press reported, making withdrawals in increments of $50,000.
Multiple outlets, including the AP, had reported using anonymous sources that the money had been used to cover up alleged sexual misconduct by Mr Hastert while he was still a teacher and wrestling coach at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
According to details uncovered by investigative reporters at the Chicago Tribune, Mr Hastert’s alleged sexual misconduct affected at least three other people.
The Tribune confirmed the identities of the three individuals who have alleged sexual abuse — two are identified in federal court documents as Individuals A and D. One individual, Stephen Reinboldt they report, died of AIDS in 1995.
The fourth accuser remains unidentified, but authorities deemed the allegations credible, according to the paper.
Details of Mr Reinboldt’s experience with Mr Hastert were shared with Tribune reporters by his sister, Jolene Burdge, who said she learned about their alleged sexual encounters in 1980, nine years after he graduated from Yorkville High School.
Both Individuals A and D declined to be interviewed by the Tribune, but D is expected to testify in the sentencing hearing.
“If Individual D wants to come in and talk about being a victim of sexual abuse, he’s entitled to do so because that informs my decision about the history and characteristics of the defendant,” US District Judge Thomas Durkin said in a late-March hearing. “It’s that simple.”
Mr Hastert's attorneys indicated in court transcripts that they do not plan to contest Individual D's account.
Mr Hastert served as Speaker longer than any other Republican, from 1999 through 2007. During his tenure, he pushed a number of anti-gay measures, including a motion to amend the US Consitution to ban same-sex marriage.
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