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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ex-Speaker Dennis Hastert won’t appeal conviction, sentence, lawyer says

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert departs the federal courthouse April 27 in Chicago after his sentencing on federal banking charges, which he pled guilty to last year. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)
By Michael Tarm Associated Press

CHICAGO – Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert won’t appeal his conviction or 15-month prison term in a hush-money case that centered on his sexual abuse of students when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois decades ago, his lead attorney said Thursday.

Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Thomas Green confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that his 74-year-old client won’t file any appeals before the looming deadline, which is the end of this week.

Asked whether Hastert would appeal his conviction or sentence – or any other aspect of the case – Green responded, “No.” He provided no other explanation.

Hastert pleaded guilty not to sex abuse but to violating banking law as he sought to pay $3.5 million to one victim referred to in court papers only as “Individual A” to keep him quiet about the sex abuse.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin branded the Republican “a serial child molester” at his April 27 sentencing, where Durkin imposed a punishment that went beyond federal guidelines. Durkin justified it by pointing to Hastert abusing at least four boys at Yorkville High.

Had Hastert appealed, he could have tried to argue that the judge put too much weight on something for which the former GOP leader was not charged – the abuse – and shouldn’t have gone beyond the guidelines. But it would have been a long shot, because federal judges have enormous discretion.

Appealing the conviction itself would have been even more difficult, since Hastert voluntarily pleaded guilty. Defendants can theoretically claim they were forced to plead guilty or weren’t mentally competent at the time, but such claims are extremely rare and rarely work on appeal.