Feds seek order to protect sensitive details in Dennis Hastert charges
Feds ask for protective order in Dennis Hastert indictment that would keep sensitive details secret.
Federal prosecutors asked for a protective order Friday in the criminal case against former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert that would keep any sensitive information — including the identity of the alleged victim at the center of the allegations — from being revealed even after the case has been completed.
"The discovery to be provided by the government in this case includes sensitive information, the unrestricted dissemination of which could adversely affect law enforcement interests and the privacy interests of third parties," the filing said
The motion for a protective order, which prosecutors said has been agreed to by Hastert's attorneys, is typically a routine request in criminal cases, but the government filing has drawn media interest because of the sensational allegations in the high-profile case.
The two-count indictment unsealed May 28 alleges Hastert paid $1.7 million to a longtime acquaintance, identified only as Individual A, to conceal wrongdoing from Hastert's days as a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville. According to the charges, Hastert lied about the reasons for his cash withdrawals when the FBI questioned him in December.
While the carefully worded, seven-page indictment only hinted at Hastert's allegedly dark past, federal law enforcement sources have said Hastert was making the payments to conceal sexual abuse of a Yorkville High School student. The FBI also interviewed a second person who raised similar allegations of sexual abuse against Hastert, corroborating the account of Individual A, sources said.
Since the charges were filed, a onetime Yorkville resident took to national television to allege Hastert sexually abused her now-deceased brother while he was a student.
While not specifically addressing Individual A, the proposed government order would clearly protect any details about the person if it is granted by U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin. Information "marked as sensitive" should be filed under seal, according to the text of the proposed order.
The proposed order also states that upon conclusion of the case, the materials turned over in discovery should either be destroyed, returned to the government or retained in the defense counsel's file still under seal.
Durkin is scheduled to hear the motion for the protective order at Hastert's next court date on Thursday. Judges typically grant such requests if both sides agree.
The indictment against Hastert alleges the Republican powerhouse caught the attention of authorities after he made 15 withdrawals of $50,000 apiece over nearly two years but then began illegally structuring the withdrawals in increments of less than $10,000 to avoid federal reporting requirements.
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