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Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Emerges From Seclusion at Wisconsin Property

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With his initial court appearance set for tomorrow, former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert emerged today from his sprawling vacation home in Wisconsin, where he has been secluded from public view, returning to his estate in Plano, Ill.

Hastert left his Wisconsin property early this morning, driving with his wife in a black SUV on the four-hour journey to his Plano home where he did not slow down as he was met by reporters at the gate.

Hastert is scheduled to appear in a Chicago federal court Tuesday for arraignment on federal bank fraud charges relating to payments he allegedly made to an unnamed individual to conceal “prior misconduct,” according to the Department of Justice. According to the indictment returned 10 days ago, Hastert was paying an unnamed individual hundreds of thousands of dollars to hide past “misconduct,” which federal officials told ABC News involves the alleged sexual abuse of a male student while Hastert was serving as a high school teacher and wrestling coach decades ago.


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The sister of a second alleged sexual abuse victim told ABC News last week that her late brother, Steve Reinboldt, was also molested by Hastert while serving as the wrestling team’s student equipment manager. (Read more from “Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Emerges From Seclusion at Wisconsin Property” HERE)

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HIV-Infected Teacher’s Aide Accused of Molestation

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Photo Credit: APAn Illinois special-needs teaching assistant accused of molesting a teenage student in school while knowingly infected with HIV remained jailed Tuesday as police investigated another claim of similar misconduct by the man involving a different student.

Prosecutors in St. Clair County east of St. Louis charged Mario L. Hunt, 35, on Monday with felony counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and “transmitting” HIV through intimate contact during the first half of 2011, when the student was 17. The transmission charge means a defendant merely exposed a victim to the virus that causes AIDS, not necessarily causing actual infection.

Cahokia police Lt. Dennis Plew said Tuesday he was unaware whether the teenager, now 19 and still a student at Cahokia High School, has been tested for HIV.

At least one other possible victim has come forward, though that case has not yet produced charges, Plew said. Police publicly implored the school district’s parents to report any questionable dealings between Hunt and their children — or at least get them tested for HIV if they’re reluctant to get police involved.

“This is horrible,” Plew told The Associated Press. “I’m sure some kids come to school and put a lot of trust in a teacher, and for anyone to take advantage of that is a terrible thing.”

Read more from this story HERE.