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Hastert’s irregular banking transactions came to the attention of the feds due to violations of reporting requirements. When asked about the transactions, Hastert told the feds that he was being “extorted” by someone claiming FALSE accusations of sexual abuse.
The FBI was called in and they recorded phone conversations between Hastert and the person who was receiving the payments. From those recorded conversations it became obvious to the FBI that Hastert, not the person who had been molested had INITIATED the idea of paying damages in exchange for silence. That’s hush money, not extortion or blackmail.
The idea of payoffs was Hastert’s not the other person’s. Hastert was also charged with lying to FBI agents.
There is a huge legal difference between “I’ll pay you to keep quiet about crimes that I committed” and “pay me or I will expose your crimes.” Hastert always had the option of simply saying, go ahead and file the report.

In a recorded call, the person Hastert was paying “said he understood his agreement with Hastert was a ‘private, personal matter’ and nobody else’s business. He offered to slow the payments down and asked about keeping their stories straight. He also reminded Hastert that he had wanted to bring in ‘two close confidants’ of Hastert’s to help them reach an agreement and that he also wanted to involve lawyers in the deal to make it ‘legal.’ Hastert had refused.”

For a more detailed explanation of what happened:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-dennis-hastert-fbi-investigation-met-20160428-story.html

Of course, it was Hastert's claim, true or false, that he was being extorted. If he was NOT being extorted then he would also have been guilty (once his payoffs were accepted) of having patronizing an under aged prostitute or nine and anyone receiving the hush money was guilty of prostitution, perhaps a misdemeanor and in any event a charge unable to be brought because of statutes of limitations.

Hastert the Pervert, a lifelong state and federal politician, LIED????? Say it isn't so!

Hastert the Pervert COULD have told the molestees to file a report but, ummm, did not. He could have kept his ill gotten fortune in his bank account and not made payoffs but he DID make payoffs. The now fully adult molestees who are alive COULD have refused the payoffs but they DID NOT. They COULD have reported Hastert the Pervert back in the day but they DID NOT. Most importantly, Hastert the Pervert COULD have told the truth to the FBI but he DID NOT.

Now he gets to serve a mere 15 months less 15% good time probably in a federal country club like the former Eglin Air Force Base (aka Club Fed) in sunny Florida complete with golf courses, paper shuffling jobs and most of the luxuries he has enjoyed on the outside other than the anuses of young male teenagers.

The molestees are small fry. If they are never charged, my life will not be diminished.

POOOOOOOR Pervert!!!! If he had to do fifteen years at hard labor instead of fifteen months as a cushy sabbatical, it would be closer to actual justice.