ILLINOIS
Northwest Herald
Published: Sunday, May 1, 2016
Federal Judge Thomas M. Durkin did not mince words last week in sentencing former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to a 15-month jail term in a sexual abuse-hush money case. Durkin described Hastert as a “serial child abuser” and described his attempt to accuse one of his victims of extortion as “unconscionable.”
In addition to jail time, Durkin ordered Hastert to undergo sex offender treatment, serve two years of supervised release after his release from prison, and pay $250,000 to a crime victims’ fund.
Hastert admitted in a statement he “mistreated” some of his Yorkville High School athletes when he was a teacher and wrestling coach at the school between 1965 and 1981, when he left YHS to begin his political career. He told the judge and courtroom, “I wanted to apologize for the boys I mistreated when I was their coach. What I did was wrong, and I regret it. They looked to me, and I took advantage of them.”
Fortunately, Durkin did not let Hastert off with a blanket apology. The judge asked Hastert, point-blank, if he had sexually abused three wrestlers. Hastert – after conferring with his lawyers – agreed to accept their statements accusing him of sexually abusing them.
We’re pleased Durkin refused to accept Hastert’s initial apology and instead pressed him to admit publicly to sexually abusing multiple victims. Hastert’s victims, their families and the public – whose trust he violated – needed to hear the former House Speaker confirm the heinous nature of his crimes. Hastert’s admission leaves no doubt – as stunning as it still may be to some of his friends and ardent political supporters – that he was, in fact, a predatory criminal during his years as teacher and coach at Yorkville High School.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.