Hastert, who wrestled at Wheaton College in suburban Chicago in the 1960s before becoming an educator, then politician, pleaded guilty in late October 2015 to evading federal banking rules in an apparent scheme to pay hush money to an unidentified individual.
In accordance with a plea deal reached last year, Hastert, 74, pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to withdrawing funds from several bank accounts in increments less than $10,000 to evade bank reporting rules. The money -- approximately $1.7 million -- was paid to someone from his Hastert's hometown of Yorkville, Ill., identified in federal documents only as "Individual A" but widely reported to be a former student at Yorkville High School. The school, located about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, is where Hastert taught history and coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981 before entering politics.
Hastert was originally slated to be sentenced February 29 but that was delayed when attorneys revealed their client had been hospitalized since suffering a stroke last fall. That sentencing hearing is now scheduled for April 27.
Lawyers seek leniency
On Wednesday, Hastert's attorneys asked a federal judge to sentence their client to a term of probation -- with no jail time -- saying he was in poor health and already thoroughly shamed by the criminal case against him, the Washington Post reported.
"Mr. Hastert's fall from grace has been swift and devastating," Hastert's attorneys wrote. "Neither we as his lawyers, nor Mr. Hastert, have the present insight to understand and reconcile the unfortunate and harmful incidents he caused decades ago with the enduring achievements, leadership, and generosity that earned him extraordinary affection and respect throughout this country during his many years of public service."
Four victims come forward
The next day, the Chicago Tribune published an in-depth, 2700-word investigative piece which stated that Hastert had sexually abused four male students at Yorkville High in the 1960s and 70s. They are identified in federal court documents as Individuals A, B, C and D. The Tribune made contact with three of the reported victims, sharing their accounts of what allegedly happened to them long before Hastert served in the Illinois legislature, then in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressman, then as Speaker of the House from 1999-2007, the longest tenure for a Republican in that position.
The statute of limitations on cases involving inappropriate sexual contact with a minor have long expired, according to the Tribune, so federal prosecutors pursued allegations that Hastert had illegally structured payments to one former student -- Individual A -- essentially as hush money.
At least one victim -- identified as Individual D -- has said he may offer a statement in court during the sentencing hearing scheduled for later this month on what Hastert did to him, after the former coach's lawyers had contacted a family member of Individual D, seeking a letter supporting leniency in sentencing.
Prosecutors have recommended a sentence for Hastert ranging from probation to up to six months in prison, the lowest possible sentence under federal guidelines for anyone convicted of a felony. U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin has noted that he is free to sentence Hastert to as long as five years in prison.
Calls to remove Hastert from Wrestling Hall
This week, an Oklahoma sportswriter and an organization dedicated to the rights of child-abuse victims both came out in seeking Hastert's removal from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Berry Tramel, long-time sports columnist for The Oklahoman -- the daily newspaper for Oklahoma City -- wrote Friday that Hastert no longer deserves his place as an Outstanding American at the Stillwater, Oklahoma-based Hall of Fame because of his behavior as a teacher and wrestling coach.
Tramel mentioned that the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is also seeking that the Wrestling Hall of Fame "remove all references to and all honors of" Hastert, according to director David Clohessy.
"Continuing to treat Hastert as a role model or even a celebrity hurts victims of sexual violence and deters them from reporting predators," Clohessy said. "And this week, he's minimizing his wrong-doing with a vague and self-serving ‘apology' while refusing to come clean about how widespread and long-standing his crimes."
Tramel contacted Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the Hall, who said the facility's board of governors has sent a review to the organization's ethics committee. The board will be meeting in June. "I'm sure we'll take some action," Smith told Tramel.
Hastert's life and career
Born not far from Yorkville in Plano, Ill. in 1942, Hastert was a member of the wrestling team at Wheaton College, a private, four-year school in the western suburbs of Chicago, in the early 1960s. He then taught government and history at Yorkville High, and coached wrestling, taking his team to an Illinois state championship in 1976. His coaching record also included three runners-up and a third place finish, according to his National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography, where he was inducted as an Outstanding American in 2000. Four years earlier, Hastert was honored for his efforts and contributions to wrestling as the recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Order of Merit.
Hastert had served three terms in the Illinois General Assembly before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. In 1999, the six-term congressman was elected Speaker of the House after the incumbent Speaker Newt Gingrich stepped down, and his intended replacement, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, gave up the position before he ever assumed it after admitting to having conducted adulterous affairs. Hastert left Congress in 2007.
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