Comedian Andy Richter, a Yorkville native, revealed on Twitter Friday night that he remembered the chair disgraced former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert sat on in the boys locker room.
“I went to Yorkville HS ’80-’84 & I remember this chair. Purportedly ‘to keep boys from fighting,’” Richter wrote after an explosive sentencing memo revealed the extent of Hastert’s sexual abuses as a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.
One of the victims who came forward to authorities said Hastert put a “Lazyboy” – type chair in direct view of the shower stalls in the Yorkville High School locker room where he sat while the boys showered.
“I haven’t thought of it in 30 yrs,” Richter also tweeted.
Richter also wrote on Twitter that he was “so struck by how easy it was to do that,” — adding of the chair in full view of the showers that ‘nobody questioned it.”
On Friday night, federal prosecutors released a lengthy sentencing memo, which revealed Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to a former student he sexually abused when he served as his coach at the high school. When Hastert’s suspicious payouts were noticed by a bank, he turned the table on the victim and told the feds he was being extorted. The investigation led authorities to the victim, who sparked the financial scheme investigation which led to federal charges against Hastert.
Hastert, 74, faces sentencing on April 27. Despite four former students coming forward about the sexual abuse, the statute of limitations on such charges have passed. A fifth victim was a student manager on Hastert’s wrestling team. He died in 1995 but told his sister about the abuse prior to his death.
