Summary: Ex-speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty to the illegal withdrawals from his bank account that were connected to paying off an individual from his past.
While the details are still mostly unknown about what Dennis Hastert, the former U.S. House speaker, did in the past, he did plead guilty for this previous misconduct. Hastert has been accused of making dozens of withdrawals from his bank account to keep “Individual A” silent for something he did in the past. He has been doing this for quite some time.
The recommendation by federal prosecutor Steven Block for Hastert pleading guilty is to serve zero to six months in prison. The maximum sentence for pleading guilty to the one count on the indictment is five years. The sentencing won’t take place until the end of February when a judge will make the final decision on the terms on the sentence and whether Block’s recommendation will be taken.
Hastert was the longest serving GOP speaker in history and was the third-highest ranking elected official; it is no wonder that he wants to keep the details of the sexual incident secret. He has paid a total of $3.5 million to a male “Individual A” in Yorkville, Illinois, the town where Hastert started out as a high school teacher and wrestling coach.
Withdrawing money from one’s account is not illegal, but repeatedly taking out amounts that are under the required reporting threshold by a bank is. Banks must report withdrawals of $10,000 or more. Hastert withdrew $952,000 in small amounts that did not have to be reported. Hastert was originally taking out larger amounts until a bank official said they would have to report the amounts.
Hastert originally stated when asked about the withdrawals a year ago that he was saving the money because he didn’t trust banks and “didn’t want them to know how I was spending the money.” The charge for lying to FBI agents was dropped as part of the plea deal.
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