Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert sexually abused at least 4 boys, prosecutors say

Dennis Hastert
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert sexually abused at least four boys — one as young as 14 — when he was a high school wrestling coach decades ago, The New York Times reports federal prosecutors said Friday. In October, Hastert pleaded guilty to felony bank fraud charges related to $3.5 million in hush money allegedly going to a victim of his abuse.

The abuse included "intentional touching of minors' groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor," prosecutors said in the court filing.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.