Key facts
- Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert died at age 84.
- Hastert died at his home over the weekend from natural causes.
- He represented Illinois in the US House from 1987 to 2007.
- Hastert served as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007.
- He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2016 for violating banking laws.
- Hastert admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys during his time as a high school wrestling coach.
Dennis Hastert, a former speaker of the US House of Representatives, has died at the age of 84, according to CBS News and Fox 32 Chicago. The Kendall County Coroner's Office confirmed Hastert died over the weekend at his home from natural causes.
Hastert, who represented Illinois for two decades in Congress, served as Speaker from 1999 to 2007. He was the longest-serving Republican speaker at the time. His political career ended after federal investigators examined large cash withdrawals he made while paying $3.5 million to a person identified in court documents as Individual A. Prosecutors stated Hastert was paying the money to keep allegations of sexual abuse secret.
In 2016, Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for violating banking laws by making repeated large cash withdrawals to evade reporting requirements and for making false statements to the FBI. He was also ordered to undergo sex-offender treatment, serve two years of supervised release, and pay a $250,000 fine. During his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Hastert had abused at least four students while working as a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School. U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin criticized Hastert, stating the abuse had devastated victims and their families.