Scott Cross was 17 years old and the senior captain of the Yorkville High School wrestling team when Hastert, his coach, sexually abused him in the locker room following practice one day.
Years later, his older brother Tom Cross would publicly credit and thank Hastert for his guidance and mentorship as he rose to become the highest ranking Republican in the Illinois House of Representatives, unaware that his younger brother was victimized by the same man.
Hastert, the longest-serving Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, appeared in court on Wednesday to face sentencing for his conviction last year of illegal cash withdrawals, in an attempt to cover up a string of sexual abuse allegations. The judge handed down a 15 month sentence. Cross and at least three other former wrestlers accused Hastert of inappropriately touching them while he was their coach.
Hastert and his legal team reached out to many of his former allies, hoping to convince them to write formal letters of support. Among them: the elder Cross brother, who by then knew what had happened, according to The Chicago Tribune. On Wednesday, it was Scott Cross who was in attendance, fighting through tears to testify against him.