Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert reported to prison Wednesday to begin his 15-month sentence for financial crimes related to bribing four boys he molested while he was a wrestling coach.
Hastert and his wife arrived at the federal medical prison in Minnesota two hours before the deadline.
According to court documents, Hastert sexually abused four victims, one as young as 14 years old, while he was a high school wrestling coach. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Hastert had sexual relations with the underage victims, court documents state.
Hastert, 74, was investigated last year after he was caught illegally structuring bank withdrawals to pay off the victims. He pleaded guilty to the charge in October, but suffered a stroke in November, which delayed sentencing.
The former Republican speaker, who served from 1999-2007, was not charged for the sex crimes due to the statute of limitations, but prosecutors have asked for a six-month sentence when Hastert receives his punishment for the extortion charges on April 27.
