[JURIST] Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced [transcript] Wednesday to 15 months in prison on bank fraud charges relating to his payment of hush money to alleged sexual abuse victims. In Judge Thomas Durkin’s federal district courtroom, Hastert admitted for the first time that he sexually abused student athletes while working as a teacher in Illinois. The statute of limitations on the abuse allegations had expired, and so Durkin’s sentencing of 15 months in prison, with two years of subsequent supervision and a $250,000 fine, relate to Hastert’s structured withdrawal of money below bank reporting requirements. When federal investigators began inquiry into Hastert’s withdrawals, he initially told them he was being extorted by an anonymous individual, when in reality he was paying that individual to hush sexual assault allegations. Durkin vowed to take Hastert’s lies into consideration during sentencing, after Hastert pleaded guilty last fall. On his sentence, Hastert’s attorney stated:

Mr. Hastert accepts the sentence imposed by the court today. As he made clear in his own words in addressing the court, he takes sole responsibility for this tragic situation and deeply apologizes to all those affected by his actions. He hopes that he now can focus on addressing his health issues and on healing the emotional damage that has been inflicted on his family and friends who have shown unwavering support throughout this trying time.

The anonymous victim filed [Chicago Tribune report] a breach of contract lawsuit against Hastert on Monday, seeking an additional $1.8 million from his agreement with Hastert to keep the allegations from going public.

An investigation by the Chicago Tribune indicated that at least four people have made “credible allegations” against Hastert [Chicago Tribune report]. Earlier this month, Hastert, in a sentencing memorandum, urged [JURIST report] the court to spare him jail time and impose a sentence of probation. The memorandum first acknowledged Hastert’s past actions and stated that he was “deeply sorry” for such actions before discussing how throughout his life he has been committed to service and “enriched the lives of so many.” The memorandum further noted that Hastert “regrets that he resorted to structuring the withdrawal of his money from banks in an effort to prevent the disclosure of that misconduct” and that he “apologize[d] to his family, friends, former constituents, and all others affected by his misconduct.”