ILLINOIS
Chicago’s Real Law Blog
by Michael Helfand
Dennis Hastert is rightfully going to jail for 15 months (although he’ll only serve a little more than a year) for lying to the FBI. The fact that he tried to frame someone who he molested a long time ago played no small part in his sentence which was more than double what the prosecutors were asking for.
It appears he sexually abused at least four of his minor students when he was a wrestling coach. It’s unfortunate that they can’t sue the school because reports are that Hastert would sit in a chair and watch the boys shower. We had a similar teacher at my high school who everyone knew was molesting kids or at the least acting creepy with him. Sadly after I graduated it was confirmed that he did in fact abuse kids and he abruptly resigned. This guy was grabbing the crotches of kids as part of “basketball drills” in plain sight of other coaches who did nothing to stop him.
Hastert didn’t end up with a longer jail sentence because the worst crime he’s committed in his life, sexual abuse of a minor, can no longer be prosecuted. It’s one of the many felonies that has a time limit for bringing charges. The only one that doesn’t that I’m aware of is murder.
So because he was a big deal in his town and at his school and because the boys he abused didn’t have the support, ability or courage to report him to press charges within the three year time limit (and I don’t blame him one bit), Hastert was able to lead the life of the world’s biggest hypocrite.
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