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Dennis Hastert dies at 84: How former House Speaker’s career ended in scandal
Dennis Hastert, former US House Speaker, has died at 84. His career ended after a scandal, guilty plea over banking laws and a prison sentence.
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Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert has died at the age of 84. A coroner in Illinois confirmed that Hastert died at his home over the weekend from natural causes. Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell confirmed his death on Monday and gave no further details.
Hastert represented Illinois in the US Congress for about two decades. He served in the US House from 1987 to 2007, representing Illinois' 14th congressional district, according to CBS News.
Dennis Hastert became House Speaker
Hastert was once one of the most powerful Republicans in the US. Hastert became Speaker of the House in 1999 and later became the longest-serving Republican Speaker in US history. His political career ended after a major scandal. He became the highest-ranking former US elected official to serve time in prison after being convicted of breaking federal banking laws.
The case involved hush-money payments linked to allegations of sexual abuse. Prosecutors said Hastert paid large amounts of cash to hide his sexual abuse of teenage boys while he was a high school wrestling coach. Years later, Hastert admitted that he had sexually abused boys while working as a coach.
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Decades later, Hastert admitted that he had sexually abused boys while working as a wrestling coach. The abuse later became central to the scandal that destroyed his political career. Hastert later ran for Congress and was elected to the US House in 1986, beginning his congressional service in 1987, according to CBS News.
Why Hastert became Speaker
Hastert unexpectedly became a leading candidate for House Speaker in 1998. After Speaker Newt Gingrich stepped down, Rep. Bob Livingston was initially expected to become his successor. Livingston then stepped aside after a scandal involving his extramarital affairs.
Hastert was then chosen as the next House Speaker. Because he had not been the obvious choice for the position, he became known as the "accidental speaker." He became the longest-serving Republican Speaker in US history.
Hastert investigation and prison sentence
The FBI and IRS started investigating Hastert in 2013. Investigators suspected that he was making large bank withdrawals in a way that would help him avoid federal reporting rules.
Hastert was charged in 2015. Prosecutors accused him of making large cash withdrawals to avoid reporting them to the government. They also accused him of lying to the FBI.
The investigation found that Hastert had repeatedly taken out large amounts of cash from banks. The money was later found to have been paid to one of the people he had sexually abused.
Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 to breaking banking laws. He admitted making repeated large cash withdrawals. However, he was not charged with sexual abuse because the legal time limit to bring those charges had already expired.
Hastert's guilty plea and prison term
During the court proceedings, Hastert admitted that he had sexually abused boys while he was their wrestling coach. The admissions brought the abuse allegations into the center of the federal case. A federal judge gave Hastert a 15-month prison sentence. US District Judge Thomas M. Durkin called him a "serial child molester" during sentencing, according to CBS News.
Hastert was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. The judge also ordered him to take part in a sex offender treatment program. Hastert ultimately spent 13 months in federal prison. He was released in 2017, after serving most of his 15-month sentence.
The prison sentence marked a dramatic fall for a former House Speaker. Hastert had once been one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington, but the revelations about his past and his criminal conviction ended his political legacy, according to CBS News.
Hastert died years after leaving prison and nearly two decades after leaving Congress. His death closes the life of a former teacher and longtime Republican lawmaker whose career rose to the top of the US House before ending in a major criminal scandal.
