Former Speaker Hastert barred from contact with minors

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has been barred from having contact with minors except in the presence of an adult who knows about his past sexual abuse of boys, according to new orders handed down by an Illinois judge.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Tuesday that Hastert is prohibited from having contact with any minors “except in the presence of a responsible adult who is aware of the nature of his/her background and current offense.”

The Tribune reported that the new terms of his release also bar Hastert from possessing “pornographic, sexually oriented, or sexually stimulating materials, including visual, auditory, telephonic, or electronic media, computer programs, or services,” as well as using any “sex-related telephone numbers.”

{mosads}The new order was handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin following a report from the probation department, according to the Tribune.

Hastert was released from a Minnesota federal prison in July after serving 13 months for a bank fraud conviction linked to his efforts to conceal his past sexual abuse of teenage boys.

The former Speaker pleaded guilty to a May 2015 indictment that accused him of illegally structuring bank withdrawals and lying to the FBI in an effort to pay off someone known publicly as “Individual A,” who claimed that Hastert had abused him and later offered him a sum of $3.5 million to stay silent. 

Hastert admitted to the judge at his April 2016 sentencing hearing that he had sexually abused children in 1970s during his time as a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois. 

Durkin called Hastert a “serial child molester” at the sentencing, after prosecutors found at least five individuals Hastert abused during his time as a coach prior to his political career.