CHICAGO – The list accusing former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of sexual abuse now stands at four, an exclusive Chicago Tribune report revealed Thursday.
Three of the individuals are males that said Hastert took advantage of them sexually when they were teens at Yorkville High School and Hastert was a coach and civics teacher.
The Tribune spoke with Individual A, whose story that eventually led to Hastert began coming to light in April 2014, when law enforcement found him parked in a van with a broken window on the side of the road. While Individual A and his wife had a history of financial problems, it did not match with what law officials found in the van.
During a search of the van, the deputies said they found three white envelopes containing stacks of $100 bills. The cash totaled $24,400, a report on the incident said. Asked why he had so much cash, Individual A said he was planning to sell one boat and buy another. During the stop, police found marijuana and related paraphernalia, and he was placed on court supervision for the misdemeanors, the police report said.
Individual A told authorities his only sources of income were disability payments and his wife's earnings.
By the time FBI agents questioned Hastert in December 2014 in his Plano home, he had paid Individual A about $1.7 million, or about half the amount the two had agreed on.
The Tribune also recorded an interview with the sister of another of Hastert's alleged sexual abuse victims, who died of AIDS in 1995. The video is posted online.
They also spoke with Individual D:
A few years younger than Individual A, Individual D was a popular student and good athlete. He grew up to marry, have children and become a successful businessman. Prosecutors have said his decision to recently come forward has been a difficult one, and they have offered him the option of keeping his identity under seal in court records or appearing in court to read a victim-impact statement.
Hastert, now 74 and in failing health, faces sentencing April 29th pertaining to the financial transactions that took place with Individual A.
The Chicago Tribune story says the sexual abuse allegations are beyond the statute of limitations, but the individuals testifying at the sentencing could influence Judge Thomas Durkin's decision on the length of sentencing Hastert could face.
