Former House Speaker and 'Serial Child Molester' Dennis Hastert Is Going to Prison

Dennis Hastert, the former Republican congressman from Illinois who rose to become the speaker of the house from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison on charges related to paying hush money to men he sexually abused decades ago, when he was their wrestling coach.

The statute of limitations had run out on potential molestation charges, so he was never arrested for sexual misconduct, though prosecutors said he molested five teenage boys while serving as the wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. But he was caught withdrawing large amounts of cash in order to pay $3.5 million to a man known in court documents as "Individual A." Then he lied to the FBI about it. The 74-year-old pled guilty to that charge in October, and in November, he suffered a stroke that left him largely confined to a wheelchair.

On April 8, the prosecution recommended a six-month prison sentence, but Judge Thomas M. Durkin instead ordered Hastert to serve 15 months in a decision that didn't spare the former politician. "Nothing is more stunning than having 'serial child molester' and 'speaker of the house' in the same sentence," the judge said, according to the New York Times, adding that "if there's a public shaming of the defendant because of the conduct he's engaged in, so be it." The judge did acknowledge Hastert's poor health by saying that he should be sent to a prison hospital.

In court, Hastert read from a written statement, saying he felt "deeply ashamed" and acknowledging that he had "mistreated some of the athletes" who were entrusted to him, according to the Washington Post. Also appearing in court on Wednesday was Scott Cross, one of Hastert's alleged victims. Cross, now 53, told a story about Hastert offering to give him a massage one day when he stayed late after practice. At some point during the massage, Hastert reportedly pulled Cross's shorts down and fondled him.

When asked by the judge whether he had sexually abused the boys, Hastert stopped short of an admission of guilt. "I don't remember doing that," he said of Cross's story, "but I accept his statement."