The victim is now deceased, says woman.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: The sister of a now deceased Illinois man has identified her brother as the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
In an emotionally charged interview with ABC News, Steve Reinboldt’s sister, Jolene Burdge disclosed she first found out about Hastert’s transgressions against her brother in 1979 when he first revealed he was gay.
“I asked him, when was your first same sex experience? He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert,’†Burdge recalled. “I was stunned.”
When she asked why he had never told anyone, he answered, “In this town, who is ever going to believe me?”
Reinboldt was abused throughout his high school years while serving as the equipment manager of the wrestling team coached by Hastert in Yorkville, Ill., Burdge told ABC News.
Burdge’s revelations come just a week after Hastert was indicted on charges that he structured bank withdrawals to avoid federal reporting requirements and later lied about it to the FBI.
Sources within federal law enforcement informed NBC News that Hastert was paying a man to keep quiet about allegations of sexual misconduct while Hastert was a high school teacher in Yorkville.
Hastert, now 73, taught history and was also the wrestling coach at Yorkville High School from 1965 to 1981 while the man he was paying was a student.
The man, referred to as “Individual A” in court documents, has not been named publicly. Federal authorities say Hastert agreed in 2010 to pay him $3.5 million to cover up “prior misconduct,” according to the indictment.
According to ABC News, Burdge’s unfettered admission of her brother’s abuse marks the first time an alleged Hastert victim has been identified by name.
“I feel vindicated and that Steve’s vindicated, that Mr. Hastert can’t pull this wool over everybody’s eyes,†she said. “Finally the truth comes out.â€