Reports that a plea deal was in the works emerged in late September.
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After being questioned by banking officials about more than a dozen withdrawals of $50,000 in cash, Hastert allegedly began structuring the withdrawals in increments of just under $10,000 to avoid reporting rules.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin on Thursday set the change-of-plea date at the request of Hastert’s lawyers.
During one meeting, Hastert agreed to pay his former student $3.5 million to “compensate for and conceal” his misconduct, the indictment said. Lawyers involved in the case did not say what charges Hastert will plead guilty to. It is not clear whether the plea deal reached with federal prosecutors would entail jail time – but it will prevent the well-known figure from going through a long, revealing trial. A deal would avert a trial and help keep any potentially embarrassing secrets quiet.
Hastert is expected to enter his plea October 28, the news services said.
“Individual A” was receiving payments from Hastert for the past four and a half years, until the feds caught on. “The charges allege Mr. Hastert moved money around in structured withdrawals to avoid detection by authorities”. The indictment states that $1.7 million was paid to “Individual A”. It triggered a search for Hastert’s alleged hush-money recipient, but that hunt has so far been unsuccessful.
Asked by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in December 2014 if he was withdrawing so much cash because he didn’t think it was safe in banks, the indictment said Hastert responded, “Yeah, I kept the cash”.
“The only other step would be for (Hastert) to hear it from him face-to-face, but I think this is as good as it will get, so I will take it”, Burdge said.
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.
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Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years, most likely to be spent in a minimum security prison meant for people who have committed political or financial crimes.
