Dennis Hastert on June 9, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Attorneys for Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the House, told a federal judge on Monday that their client is considering taking a plea deal in the criminal case against him, a spokesperson for the U.S Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois confirmed to BuzzFeed news.
The 73-year old former politician, who served as speaker from 1999 to 2006, was indicted in May on charges of "structuring financial payments" of $3.5 million to conceal "prior bad acts."
The indictment did not specify the nature of those acts, but sources with knowledge of the investigation told BuzzFeed News that Hastert, a former wrestling coach from a small town outside Chicago, was allegedly paying hush-money to one of his former wrestlers, whom he sexually abused decades ago.
At the time, Hastert pleaded not guilty to all charges. But on Monday John Gallo, one of his attorneys, told U.S District Court Judge Thomas Durkin that his discussions with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block about a potential plea deal were "linear and productive."
A plea deal would allow the former Republican speaker to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial, where details of his "bad acts" would likely be discussed in open court.
Gallo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Attorney declined to comment beyond confirming that the parties are engaged in plea negotiations.
LINK: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges
LINK: Hastert Indictment Casts Shadow Over All-American Town
LINK: Family Of Alleged Hastert Victim Comes Forward
LINK: Dennis Hastert Pleads Not Guilty To Lying To FBI, Evading IRS
Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1OCieCC
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