CHICAGO, April 27 (UPI) — Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced Wednesday to two years supervised release on charges of fraud and lying to federal agents in a case related to alleged sexual abuse.
Hastert is accused of sexually abusing four boys between ages 14 and 17 when he worked as a teacher and wrestling coach in Chicago’s Yorkville High School between 1965 and 1981.
The former Republican party leader pleaded guilty in October to bank fraud for structuring monetary transactions to evade mandatory reporting requirements.
Hastert admitted he arranged the payments to a person only identified as Individual A for a total of $3.5 million to cover up decades-old alleged sexual misconduct. He also admitted lying to the FBI when questioned in 2014 about the bank withdrawals.
Hastert, who served as House speaker for eight years, said he agreed to make the payment to settle “past misconduct” against that person — but the Illinois Republican has never admitted to committing any sexual abuse.
He attracted the attention of the FBI in late 2014 for making numerous cash transactions in amounts less than $10,000 — the threshold at which banks are required by law to report them — to pay off the former student.
During his sentencing, the ex-politician apologized “to the boys I mistreated when I was their coach.
“What I did was wrong and I regret it,” Hastert said. “They looked up to me and I took advantage of them.”
Northern District of Illinois Judge Thomas M. Durkin said Hastert should enroll in a sex offender treatment program.
