Thread: Dennis Hastert goes from speaker to felon, but his dark past still a mystery

Dennis Hastert goes from speaker to felon, but his dark past still a mystery


Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is accused of agreeing to pay $3.5 million in apparent hush money to a longtime acquaintance, then lying to the FBI when asked about suspicious cash withdrawals from several banks.

Jason Meisner and Jeff Coen Contact Reporters
Chicago Tribune

Few new details as Dennis Hastert pleads guilty in federal court


It was nearly 17 years ago that Dennis Hastert stood in the U.S. Capitol and was sworn in as the speaker of the House with his right hand raised.

On Wednesday in Chicago, Hastert took an oath of a different kind, swearing in a federal courtroom to tell the truth as he pleaded guilty to a felony count of illegally structuring cash withdrawals to evade bank currency-reporting requirements.

"Guilty, sir," Hastert, 73, said in a hoarse voice as he leaned toward a microphone and acknowledged in the packed courtroom that he had made hush-money payments to cover up wrongdoing in his past.

The guilty plea marked a dramatic downfall for Hastert, one of Illinois' most powerful Republicans who rose from humble beginnings as a small-town high school teacher to the third-highest political office in the country.

But while Hastert is now a convicted felon, the 20-minute hearing left more questions than answers. The 15-page plea agreement with prosecutors contains almost identical language as the indictment issued in May. It does not identify the person Hastert had agreed to pay $3.5 million to keep quiet or provide any new details on the wrongdoing Hastert was trying to cover up.

Under federal guidelines, Hastert faces a sentence ranging from probation to up to six months in prison. The judge, however, said that despite the agreement between parties, he is free to hand out a term of up to the statutory maximum of 5 years behind bars. He set sentencing for Feb. 29.



Read: Dennis Hastert plea agreement

Hastert's attorney will almost certainly seek probation or possibly house arrest in lieu of prison.

In an emailed statement after the hearing, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon hinted that more details about Hastert's wrongdoing would come out at sentencing. Prosecutors intend to "provide the court with relevant information about (Hastert's) background and the charged offenses" so the judge "can impose an appropriate sentence taking into account all relevant factors in the case," Fardon said.

The bombshell indictment alleged that Hastert was making the withdrawals as part of an agreement to pay a total of $3.5 million to a longtime acquaintance, identified only as Individual A, to cover up wrongdoing from years ago.

Though the indictment only hints at the alleged wrongdoing, federal law enforcement sources have told the Tribune that Hastert was paying to cover up the sexual abuse of a student when Hastert was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School.


Tribune coverage: Dennis Hastert indicted

Hastert's appearance at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse — just his second since the shocking charges were announced in May — prompted court officials to set up an overflow courtroom and extra security measures for the anticipated crowds.

Dressed in a gray suit and blue-and-gray striped tie, the white-haired Hastert entered the . courthouse about 7:15 a.m. and walked with a stooped posture past a horde of news cameras and reporters staked out on Dearborn Street and in the courthouse lobby.

As he waited for the hearing to begin in Durkin's 14th-floor courtroom, Hastert sat quietly at the defense table, occasionally whispering with his attorneys and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. When the judge called the case, Hastert moved to the lectern and raised his right hand to be sworn in.

When asked if he swore to tell the truth, Hastert answered, "I do," in a voice so quiet the judge reminded him to speak up.

Hastert admitted in his plea agreement that he arranged with Individual A in 2010 to pay a total of $3.5 million to cover up past misconduct that had occurred several decades ago when Hastert was a wrestling coach and teacher in far west suburban Yorkville.

For about two years beginning in June 2010, Hastert made 15 withdrawals of $50,000 apiece and gave the cash to Individual A at meetings that occurred about every six weeks, according to the plea agreement.

After bank officials warned Hastert in April 2012 that such large withdrawals had to be reported to financial regulators, Hastert began illegally structuring the transactions in increments of less than $10,000 to avoid federal reporting requirements, according to the plea agreement. Over the next 2 1/2 years, Hastert made a total of 106 withdrawals in increments of less than $10,000, totaling $952,000.

When FBI agents questioned Hastert about the withdrawals at his Plano home in December, he lied by claiming that he was keeping the cash he had been withdrawing "in a safe place," the plea agreement stated.

The indictment said Hastert told agents he was wary of the banking system.

"Yeah ... I kept the cash. That's what I'm doing," Hastert was quoted as saying.

During the hearing Wednesday, Hastert kept his eyes on the lectern and stood still as Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block read the facts of the plea agreement into the record. Afterward, the judge asked Hastert to explain in his own words what he did wrong.

"I didn't want them to know how I intended to spend the money," Hastert said of bank officials. "I withdrew the money in less than $10,000 increments."

Hastert left the courthouse without comment about 20 minutes after the hearing, flanked by his attorneys and courthouse security. As Hastert was entering a black Chevrolet SUV, a reporter shouted out, "Do you have anything to say to the public?"

Hastert did not respond.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...027-story.html

http://www.alipac.us/f9/feds-indict-...90/index2.html