CHICAGO, (Reuters) – Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to plead guilty in a hush-money case stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct in a deal with prosecutors that could still force him to serve time in prison.
The tentative plea agreement, disclosed during a brief hearing in federal court in Chicago on Thursday, would mark a dramatic downfall for someone who once ranked among the most powerful men in the country.
Hastert, 73, was charged in May with trying to hide large cash transactions as part of a payoff scheme and lying about it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys did not say what charge he would plead guilty to or whether his sentence might include incarceration.
Federal prosecutors have accused him of agreeing to pay $3.5 million to an unidentified person from his hometown of Yorkville, Illinois, to conceal past misconduct. He was a teacher at Yorkville High School in the 1960s and 1970s.
That person has not surfaced publicly, but anonymous law enforcement sources have told several media outlets that Hastert was trying to cover up sexual abuse of a male student when he worked as a high school teacher and wrestling coach.
Hastert’s agreement, to change his plea to guilty from not guilty in the case, is expected to be submitted to U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin on Monday, attorneys for Hastert said. Hastert, who is free on bond, was not required to attend Thurs-day’s hearing and was not in court. He has not spoken publicly since his indictment, but Durkin set Oct. 28 as the date for him to change his plea.
Hastert was the longest-serving Republican speaker, leading the House for eight years before leaving Congress in 2007 and becoming a lobbyist.
