Prosecutors: Fmr. House Speaker Hastert Abused 4 Boys

[Flagg]

NBCNews.com

What the Dennis Hastert Documents Reveal About Sexual Abuse Allegations

The government's pre-sentencing report in the Dennis Hastert hush money case for the first time outlines the sexual abuse allegations against the former House Speaker and contains many new details about the investigation.

Here are some of the key points from the document filed in Illinois federal court late Friday evening:

Four boys

The court papers detail accusations by four men, described as "victims" by prosecutors, who say they were molested.

Individual A is the former Yorkville High School wrestler at the center of the case, who was named in the indictment charging Hastert with illegally structuring bank withdrawals of money he was using to pay off his former student.

Individual B is another former wrestler who alleges that Hastert molested him in a locker room. His existence is revealed for the first time in the prosecutors' filing.

Individual D told prosecutors he also was sexually abused by Hastert during a massage in the locker room. His existence was first noted in a court filing last month but the details of his story are only now being made public.

The fourth is Steven Reinboldt, a wrestling team equipment manager who died of AIDS in 1995. His sister came forward last year after Hastert was indicted, and she told the media her brother was abused throughout high school.

The filing also discusses a fifth ex-wrestler, Individual C, who describes an "uncomfortable" and "very weird" locker-room encounter with Hastert in which the coach brushed his hand against his genitals but concedes that it could have been accidental.

'Empty locker room and motel room'

Last year's indictment against Hastert made no reference to sexual abuse but the pre-sentencing report details how he allegedly isolated and preyed on his charges when they were as young as 14.

Individual A had to share a room with Hastert during a team trip, prosecutors said. Under the guise of a massage for a groin injury he inappropriately touched the boy, the court papers say. Later, while he was wearing only underwear, Hastert had the teen give him a back rub in bed, prosecutors said.

Individuals B and D each told investigators that while Hastert was giving them a massage after practice, he performed a sexual act on them.

And Individual D said he remembered Hastert placing a La-Z-Boy-type chair in the locker room, which was "in direct view of the shower stalls," the documents said. Hastert would sit in the chair while the boys showered, Individual D said, according to prosecutors.

Comedian Andy Richter, who went to Yorkville High School, tweeted late Friday that he recalled the chair, which he said was allegedly placed in the locker room "'to keep boys from fighting.'"

Richter, who is Conan O'Brien's sidekick, said in a separate tweet that he hadn't thought about the chair in three decades. He responded to a tweet from MSNBC's Chris Hayes saying he isn't upset all these years later by the presence of the chair, but he's "just so struck by how easy it was to do that."

"Nobody questioned it," Richter wrote.

Hastert played victim card

After his illegal bank withdrawals attracted the scrutiny of investigators, Hastert lied about why he was taking out the money and then later had his lawyer contact them to report he was "the victim of an extortion plot" involving a bogus sexual abuse claim by Individual A.

The FBI had Hastert record conversations with Individual A but found that his interactions with the ex-pol "were inconsistent with someone committing extortion."

The former student didn't make any threats to pressure Hastert to come up with money more quickly and revealed that he had wanted a lawyer to broker a legal "agreement" but Hastert refused.

"Individual A said people 'buy their way out of trouble' all the time and there had to be a way to do it," prosecutors said.

Victims have 'struggled'

The report says the alleged abuse took an emotional toll on the boys.

"He made them feel alone, ashamed, guilty and devoid of dignity," prosecutors wrote. "While the defendant achieved great success, and all the benefits that went with it, these boys struggled, and all are still struggling now with what the defendant did to them. Some of them have managed better than others, but all of them bear the scars defendant inflicted upon them... It is profoundly sad that one of their earliest sexual experiences was in the form of abuse by a man they trusted and whom they revered as a mentor and coach."

In denial?

The report filed Friday says that in his sealed filings, Hastert suggested "ambiguity" about whether his contact with Individual A in the motel room constituted sexual misconduct.

"There is no ambiguity. Defendant sexually abused Individual A," prosecutors countered.

Hastert also denied molesting Reinboldt in court papers, prosecutors said. "This cannot be," they wrote, noting that Reinboldt confided in others about the abuse as early as 1973.

Hastert, who is 74 and in failing health, was never charged with sexual abuse because of the statute of limitations and he pleaded guilty only to a financial charge.

In his own pre-sentencing report, he expressed remorse and said he had "reshaped his life" many years ago. He is asking the judge to sentence him to probation, but prosecutors are recommending six months in prison.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin will decide April 27, possibly after hearing testimony from Individual D and Reinboldt's sister.

My only comment aside from pointing out that he was speaker during a time when the party of "family values" controlled the House would be that we need to start rethinking statutes of limitations in sex crimes. Not all of them. But shit like this. Some states have shorter SOL for sex crimes than armed robbery.

[Broomstick]

I'm pissed that he's going whine-whine-whine "I'm old I'm sick I'm feeble" hoping to get out of jail time. BULLSHIT. He can damn well serve his time, in fucking jail, like anyone else who isn't wealthy or politically connected. He's old and sick and feeble? Boo-fucking-hoo. Prisons have geriatric wings and hospice for old/ill/dying prisoners, why the hell should Hastert be an exception?

As it is, he's going to get far, far less time than most child/teen molesters. It's goddamned unjust enough, but he damn well should be behind bars for at least some time. If he dies there too fucking bad - plenty of old farts have died in prison because for whatever reason they couldn't outlive their sentence, again, why should he be an exception?

[Flagg]

I'm pissed that he's going whine-whine-whine "I'm old I'm sick I'm feeble" hoping to get out of jail time. BULLSHIT. He can damn well serve his time, in fucking jail, like anyone else who isn't wealthy or politically connected. He's old and sick and feeble? Boo-fucking-hoo. Prisons have geriatric wings and hospice for old/ill/dying prisoners, why the hell should Hastert be an exception?

As it is, he's going to get far, far less time than most child/teen molesters. It's goddamned unjust enough, but he damn well should be behind bars for at least some time. If he dies there too fucking bad - plenty of old farts have died in prison because for whatever reason they couldn't outlive their sentence, again, why should he be an exception?

I want him to live a long life. Well, long enough to die in prison. If he needs an organ, give him one. But none of the shit they pull sometimes, releasing them to die in a hospital. I want him to live as long as possible until his release date. Only then can he die.

[Ace Pace]

To quote

It boggles the mind that the House Speaker who impeached Clinton for Lewinsky affair was a serial child molester.

[Solauren]

To quote

It boggles the mind that the House Speaker who impeached Clinton for Lewinsky affair was a serial child molester.

Not really.

Those that scream at another for something are usually hoping to distract or conceal their own offenses.

[Simon_Jester]

Also, Hastert probably believed he was immune to consequences and that his victims would stay silent. Powerful people with, I'm just going to say evil, personal habits... tend to think that way. It's such a consistent pattern that you'd think the smart-sociopaths would have figured it out by now, but they never seem to do so.

[Flagg]

Also, Hastert probably believed he was immune to consequences and that his victims would stay silent. Powerful people with, I'm just going to say evil, personal habits... tend to think that way. It's such a consistent pattern that you'd think the smart-sociopaths would have figured it out by now, but they never seem to do so.

It's likely a compulsion and they can't control the impulse. They know it's wrong, most probably even feel guilty afterwards, but they bury it or in the truly nasty fuckers cases, convince themselves that the victims somehow wanted it.

[Broomstick]

Funny thing is, there IS evidence of people out there who have the urge to molest but mange to never actually act on it. Pity we can't bottle that self-control and distribute it freely.

[Flagg]

Funny thing is, there IS evidence of people out there who have the urge to molest but mange to never actually act on it. Pity we can't bottle that self-control and distribute it freely.

Absolutely. I'm firmly a believer that pedophilia is a mental illness and some if not all sufferers have the ability to control whether or not they act upon it. I honestly cannot imagine what kind of hell one must live in to be solely attracted to children in a sexual way and be able to control that urge. And I honestly couldn't feel worse for someone in that position. And if that is the case, then I hope someone is working on helping them. Because to feel that compulsion and never act on it because you know it's wrong, and would harm the child psychologically... That's indescribable heroism.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, it's quite a minefield for those folks - they risk arrest for admitting their private hell even if they have never acted on it because of the kneejerk response of "OMG! RISK TO KIDS!" I mean, absolutely if there is an actual risk of a crime being committed that has to be reported, but only if there is actual reason/evidence to believe the person's self-control is going to slip. Otherwise, better for those people to have a support system of some sort to help them maintain their self-control.

The less hellish situation is someone attracted not only to kids but also adults, they at least have an outlet for their sexual frustration that won't involve hurting anyone.

I wish there was more support for actually studying the problem in hopes of finding a way to keep people from either re-offending or, better yet, not offending in the first place but it's such a fucking minefield that people aren't rational enough to allow proper study to happen. There is probably more real research on serial killers targeting adults than on child molesters, even though the latter is probably a hell of a lot more common.

[Flagg]

Yeah, it's quite a minefield for those folks - they risk arrest for admitting their private hell even if they have never acted on it because of the kneejerk response of "OMG! RISK TO KIDS!" I mean, absolutely if there is an actual risk of a crime being committed that has to be reported, but only if there is actual reason/evidence to believe the person's self-control is going to slip. Otherwise, better for those people to have a support system of some sort to help them maintain their self-control.

The less hellish situation is someone attracted not only to kids but also adults, they at least have an outlet for their sexual frustration that won't involve hurting anyone.

I wish there was more support for actually studying the problem in hopes of finding a way to keep people from either re-offending or, better yet, not offending in the first place but it's such a fucking minefield that people aren't rational enough to allow proper study to happen. There is probably more real research on serial killers targeting adults than on child molesters, even though the latter is probably a hell of a lot more common.

Yeah, it's a touchy subject. I used to br afraid to admit I was a victim because of the association between victims and new offenders.

[Pelranius]

I'm sort of surprised it didn't come out sooner.

[Ralin]

Funny thing is, there IS evidence of people out there who have the urge to molest but mange to never actually act on it. Pity we can't bottle that self-control and distribute it freely.

Absolutely. I'm firmly a believer that pedophilia is a mental illness and some if not all sufferers have the ability to control whether or not they act upon it. I honestly cannot imagine what kind of hell one must live in to be solely attracted to children in a sexual way and be able to control that urge. And I honestly couldn't feel worse for someone in that position. And if that is the case, then I hope someone is working on helping them. Because to feel that compulsion and never act on it because you know it's wrong, and would harm the child psychologically... That's indescribable heroism.

I've thought pretty much the same thing before. Though a psych grad I know once told me that there's evidence that most child molesters are not strictly speaking pedophiles and that it's more about power and ability to get away with it, as with a lot of sex crimes. Dunno what research she was basing that off.

[Joun_Lord]

It makes sense. Seems like most of the Priests porking children, Jewish religious big-wigs trading children in bath-houses, tribal and religious leaders screwing little boys and marrying little girls to also screw, Mormon fucknuts with whole harems of underage girls, male teachers raping their female student and female teachers having sex with male students unless the teacher is ugly then its rape, some fatass step-father raping his step-kids and probably biological ones too before getting his fucking head blown off by a 12 gauge to the point his own fucking mom couldn't identify him and just powerful piece of fuck people like Hastert couldn't all be pedos, even most I wouldn't think.

Your friend is probably right in that most of its people getting of on the power of it all. The same way a "normal" rapist gets off on holding a woman (or man if you don't believe that rape is about institutional power and because men have the power they can't be raped only molested and blah blah bullshit) against her will, having power over her, these fucknuts get off the same way. They have power over the children, usually even more then a "normal" rapist has over their victims. Sex is part of it same as "normal" rape but the physical gratification can be obtained by anyone or any sexually appealing animal, the power they hold over their victims, the control they have on their lives and bodies, thats is what really gets these sick fucks doing.

The possible link between former victims and future offenders could possibly be people trying to get their own power by paying the pain they experienced forward. Thankfully I think most who experienced such abuse don't do such things, don't want anyone else to go through what they went through especially at their own hands.

Either way, its fucking horrifying what these shitbags get away with.

[Broomstick]

There are probably multiple motivations for such crimes, possibly multiple motivations even in the same offender.

[bilateralrope]

There are probably multiple motivations for such crimes, possibly multiple motivations even in the same offender.

Agreed. People vary so widely that I doubt that the same motivation can apply to everyone.


Even saying that the motivation is the same for most people is a statement that I want to see evidence for.

[Joun_Lord]

There are probably multiple motivations for such crimes, possibly multiple motivations even in the same offender.

No doubt there are multiple motivations which was part of my point probably. Too often the motivation for child molesters is thought as just "he (and in very rare like a shiny Pokemon cases she) is a pedo". This completely ignores any other motivations beyond them wanting to pork children and doesn't even examine the possibility that the sick fucking freak didn't want to pork children but just wanted to pork someone weaker, they cannot all just be "pedo". Even "normal" rapists will have different reasons for being pieces of human shit that needed flushed. Some do it for the sex, others do it for a power trip, some want to humiliate the victim, some think they are "loving the victim", some are two 17 year olds sending dick and tits pictures to each other.

However the type of "power rapist" that presumably Hastert belong to along with presumably many religious rapists and people in positions of authority porkers do all share a common motivation one would assume, the power, the control. I don't doubt some do it just to screw underage children, maybe Jerry Sandusky but that might just me assigning motive to him based on the fact he looked like a fucking creeper, some might even do it for a combination of the power and the underage ass.

[Broomstick]

And that, right there, might be the difference between pedos who offend and those who don't: the non-offenders have a repulsive urge but they don't have a need for power, control, humiliation of others, domination of the weaker, or any of the rest. So they only have to suppress one evil urge and not several.

[Broomstick]

Fucking hell - the judge just called Hastert a serial child molester and then gave him two years supervised release!

Holy fuck - this is epic bullshit! The ONLY reason this assgasket isn't rotting in prison right now is because he's rich and has powerful friends. I don't fucking care if he's in wheelchair, let him fucking rot in prison as if he were some poor, unconnected brown person who's old and feeble.

Granted, this isn't a child molesting trial, it's about bank violations, but this is a travesty.

And maybe we need to remove the statute of limitations on sexual offenses.

[Broomstick]

By the way - the victim whose agreement with Hastert to have Hastert pay him over 3 million dollars is now sueing Hastert because he didn't get all his money. Ironically, with Hastert claiming this was extortion and the FBI investigating it, and judicial review, a judge has gone on record as saying there were no threats or extortion, this was more like an out-of-court settlement and thus a valid contract. Meaning said victim might actually be able to enforce that agreement against Hastert and get more, maybe all, of the money originally agreed to.

[Broomstick]

Oh... wait a minute... AFTER the judge rattled on and on he came to the point he sentenced Hastert to 15 months. Not enough, but better than nothing.

Wonder if they're going to put him the Illinois Governor's wing?

[Flagg]

15 months? That's ridiculous. Does his cell come with hot and cold running Cub Scouts?

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, he didn't go to jail for 15 months for sexual abuse of children. As I understand it, he's past the statute of limitations on that (which is a whole different kind of absurdity, since such a thing should never have a statute of limitations).

He went to jail for 15 months for some financial bullshit.

But yes, I wish it had been longer.

[Ralin]

And maybe we need to remove the statute of limitations on sexual offenses.

They do seem like excellent candidates for doing that. Not just in an "HRRRGGH, HATE RAPISTS AND WANT TO PUNISH PUNISH PUNISH" sense, but because they're by nature crimes with a long-lasting impact that frequently take years to come to light.

[Flagg]

Yeah it's kind of a slap in the face, especially with DNA databases, to find out that the rapist gets a free pass because they weren't caught and had their DNA run until 5 years (the usual statue of limitations on rape, less than most forms of robbery) and a day after the crime. I mean I don't think minor "sex crimes" like public lewdness need to be following someone for life, but sexual assault in the higher degrees need to have much longer, or no, SoL. Especially in cases of child abuse where the victim will not report it for decades in some cases.