In an interview with ABC News published Friday, Jolene Reinboldt said her brother, Steve Reinboldt, was a victim of abuse by Dennis Hastert while Hastert was his high school wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois.
Reinboldt's interview is the first time an alleged victim of Hastert's has been named, ABC News reports. Hastert, a former speaker of the House, was indicted on charges of bank fraud and lying to the FBI, and he is due in court next week. Sources told ABC News Hastert paid an unidentified man, known as "Individual A," hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover up Hastert's alleged sexual misconduct.
During the ABC News interview, Reinboldt said that her brother told her he was gay in 1979. He then told her that his first sexual experience with a man was with Hastert. According to Reinboldt, her brother never went to authorities because he didn't think anyone would believe him.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Steve Reinboldt apparently told his sister the abuse lasted all four years he was in high school, while he served as the wrestling team's student manager. Steve Reinboldt died from AIDS in 1995.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
