REPORT: Indicted Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert Was Being Blackmailed Over Sexual Misconduct

According to unnamed law enforcement officials, former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert was being blackmailed by someone with knowledge of Hastert having committed "sexual misconduct" with a male many years ago. Via the Los Angeles Times:

One of the officials, who would not speak publicly about the federal charges in Chicago, said “Individual A,” as the person is described in Thursday’s federal indictment, was a man and that the alleged misconduct was unrelated to Hastert’s tenure in Congress. The actions date to Hastert’s time as a Yorkville, Ill., high school wrestling coach and teacher, the official said. “It goes back a long way, back to then,” the source said. “It has nothing to do with public corruption or a corruption scandal. Or to his time in office.” Thursday’s indictment described the misconduct “against Individual A” as having “occurred years earlier.” Asked why Hastert was making the payments, the official said it was to conceal Hastert’s past relationship with the male. “It was sex,’’ the source said. The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse.

Hastert and his lobbying firm have declined to comment.

RELATED: Following the 2006 House page scandal resignation of former GOP Rep. Mark Foley, Hastert was alleged to have known about Foley's actions. Hastert retired from the House in 2007.

BRITAIN: Two Men Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Grindr Blackmail

Two British men have been sentenced to four years in prison for blackmailing men that they met on Grindr. Via Gay Star News:

Nathanael Foster and Adam Webb, both 26 from Gloucester in South West England, were charged with two counts of blackmail. Gloucester Crown Court heard how the pair trapped two men, with one victim even handing over £15,000 ($25,000, €19,000) to the pair. The victim had saved the money and drew it out from the bank to give to the men after they stayed all night in his home to ensure he paid up. But when the other said he had no money, the two men told him he should crash his car into a store to get the cash - the victim was forced to go to the police. Foster and Webb claimed they were posing as 15-year-olds, a year under the age of consent, and filmed the meetings in order to extort money from the men. They claimed they were being 'good citizens'.

GEORGIA: Gay Spy Ring Exposed

Russia Today reports that police in Georgia claim to have exposed a government-run spy ring that used gay men to prey on celebrities who were then blackmailed into supporting the regime.

The prosecutors claim the former head of the Military Police, Legis Kardava, instructed some high-placed officials of his agency to gather information on homosexual men. Specially selected gay agents seduced their victims and took them to apartments equipped with audio and video recorders where they “secretly and illegally recorded fragments of private lives” of these people. After this the records were used to force the people to cooperate with the special services. The investigators say the provocateurs chose famous people, though no names have been disclosed. It is also claimed that the ultimate objective was to force the Georgian celebrities into demonstrating loyalty to the existing political regime, headed by President Mikhail Saakashvili. Prosecutors allowed some of the video from the case to be shown on national TV after the identities of participants were concealed.

Investigators claim that the spy ring operated until the opposition party won in the October elections.