CHICAGO, June 9 (UPI) -- Embattled former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to all charges he lied to federal agents about skirting banking laws.
He was flanked during his arraignment in Chicago by a high-powered Washington, D.C. attorney known for representing scandal-ridden politicians.
After more than 10 days out of the public eye, Hastert and attorney Thomas C. Green, appeared before U.S. Judge Thomas M. Durkin, a two-time Hastert donor, for charges of bank fraud and lying to the FBI.
Durkin ordered Hastert released on $4,500 bond. He was banned from carrying firearms, had to forfeit his passport, submitted to giving a DNA sample, and must avoid contact with witnesses and alleged victims.
Related
Hastert, a Republican who retired from Congress in 2007, is accused of maneuvering bank transactions to skirt federal laws that require cash transactions in excess of $10,000 be disclosed to the government. He was indicted on May 28 for making bank withdrawals less than the reporting limit and lying to federal agents about the withdrawals.
Court paper say Hastert used up to $3.5 million in "hush money" to conceal "prior misconduct." Authorities have not identified any alleged victims, but the sister of an Illinois man told ABC News Friday her brother was abused by Hastert while he was a high school student and Hastert was the wrestling coach in Yorkville, Ill. CBS reported the FBI has pinpointed three possible victims in total.
Green, a white-collar defense lawyer at Sidley Austin, has "represented members of Congress and other public officials in responding to some of the most well-known and significant federal and congressional investigations of official misconduct," the law firm's website said. His clients included politicians and officials involved in Watergate, Whitewater and the Iran-Contra investigations. A former federal prosecutor, Green has practiced law for more than 40 years.
