Hastert, who entered court in a wheelchair and needed help standing to address the judge, admitted mistreating some athletes when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois before he began his political career.
“I want to apologize to the boys I mistreated,” Hastert said. “They looked (up) at me and I took advantage of them.”
Zachary Fardon, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern Illinois, said his office's recommendation for up to a six-month prison term was dictated by federal guidelines for the illegal structuring of bank withdrawals charge that Hastert pleaded guilty to in October.
Under federal guidelines, the maximum sentence for illegal structuring is five years in prison. Prosecutors say Hastert knowingly tried to evade triggering a rule that requires banks to report withdrawals over $10,000 to the IRS, but the money was legally obtained and he paid all appropriate taxes on the funds. Those details direct prosecutors to seek a relatively shorter sentence under the guidelines.
Fardon noted that Hastert would have faced more serious charges for sex abuse had the statutes of limitation for the criminal sexual misconduct not expired years ago. Durkin underscored that he could not sentence Hastert "for being a child molester" and that his sentence would "pale in comparison" to what the former lawmaker would have faced had he been convicted of state charges for sexual abuse of a child.
"We followed the case where it led, we brought the charges we could bring, and through that Mr. Hastert's legacy and legend are gone," Fardon said. "In its place are a broken, humiliated man."
Under Illinois statute, Hastert would have faced between 3 and 7 years in state prison if convicted of a single count of sexual misconduct with a minor.
One former athlete, now 53, testified that he was abused by Hastert, describing a locker room molestation when he was 17 years old.
"Judge, I wanted you to know the pain and suffering he caused me then, and the pain and suffering he causes me today," said Scott Cross, the brother of prominent Illinois politician Tom Cross. USA TODAY normally does not name victims of abuse, but Cross revealed his name in open court.
Defense attorney Thomas Green confirmed that Hastert asked his legal team to reach out to Tom Cross to write a letter on Hastert's behalf. Lawyers for Hastert have said in court papers that Hastert did not recall the incident with Scott Cross.